


Hurts a Little Less

by penguin97



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-26
Updated: 2018-01-23
Packaged: 2018-08-27 02:02:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 40,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8383585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/penguin97/pseuds/penguin97
Summary: Writer's block sucks and this is what happens when I can't think of other stuff to write. I have massive O'Harli brotp feels after the last few weeks, because you know Kelley and Carli miss Hope the most. Also, there's a few fics that have these three as a pairing and I wanted to try my hand at it.The title sucks but I suck at them so... :/





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Writer's block sucks and this is what happens when I can't think of other stuff to write. I have massive O'Harli brotp feels after the last few weeks, because you know Kelley and Carli miss Hope the most. Also, there's a few fics that have these three as a pairing and I wanted to try my hand at it.
> 
> The title sucks but I suck at them so... :/

Christie’s driving her to the ER after the game when the call comes.

“You should answer that,” the captain said.

Kelley sighed, but answered. “Hey,” she said quietly into the phone.

“Hey,” Hope said back just as quietly. “You okay?” she asked.

“Define okay,” Kelley replied. “Christie’s taking me to the ER to get my ankle x-rayed,” she explained.

“I’m sorry, Kel,” the keeper said softly.

“Are you okay?” Kelley asked. “I mean, is calling me a sign you’re finally ready to talk?”

Hope sighed on the other end. “I know I’ve been a terrible girlfriend the last couple of weeks,” she admits quietly. “To you and to Carli,” she adds.

“Oh, so I’m not the only person you’ve been ignoring?” Kelley asked bitterly, earning a concerned look from Christie.

“I’m sorry,” Hope whispered. “I’m sorry I shut you guys out. I just, I don’t know what to do now,” she said, and Kelley can tell she’s close to tears.

“Hope,” the defender called softly. “Hope, it’s okay. You don’t have to do anything right now,” she soothed. “The three of us will figure this out, okay?”

A sniffle comes from the other end. “Okay,” Hope said in a shaky voice. “Okay.”

“But you can’t shut us out like this anymore,” Kelley scolds gently. “Carli and I can’t help you if you don’t talk to us.”

“I know. I’ll do better,” Hope promised.

“Good,” Kelley said. “Have you talked to Carli yet?”

“Yeah, I called her earlier,” the keeper answered. “I told her I’m not going to be playing in tomorrow’s game. What do you think?” she asked.

“Hope, do what you need to to get yourself to a better place,” Kelley said. “If you don’t think you can give a hundred percent, then don’t play. You’ll be harder on yourself if you guys lose because you weren’t mentally ready,” she reasons.

“Thanks, Kel,” Hope replied softly. “I just don’t want to disappoint you guys,” she confesses.

“Hope, you’re not disappointing me by not playing,” Kelley promised.

“I told Carli I might just step down for the rest of the season,” Hope admits. “I just don’t think I’ll be back mentally to where I can put all my focus into the game.”

“If that’s what you need to do, I’m behind you all the way,” the defender promised. “What did Carli say?”

“She’ll back me no matter what,” Hope answered.

“Babe, we’ll be behind you no matter what you choose to do, okay?”

“I know,” the keeper responded.

Kelley notices they’ve pulled into the hospital parking lot. “Hey, I need to go,” she said into the phone. “I’ll call you back when I get home and let you know how it went, okay?”

“Okay,” Hope said. “And call Carli afterwards, please. She wants to know what’s going on but doesn’t want to ask you.”

Kelley rolled her eyes. “Of course she doesn’t,” she grumbled. “I don’t understand why she doesn’t just call or text me herself.”

“Because, and these are her words, I’m ‘already overprotective and worried enough’ and she doesn’t want to add to that and annoy you,” Hope explained.

Kelley laughed. “Well, you can be a little overprotective,” she teases. “But okay, I’ll call her when I get the results,” she said.

“Okay, good. I’ll let you go now,” Hope said. “I love, you, Kel. Call me when you’re home.”

“I will,” the defender promised. “I love you, too, Hope,” she said, then ends the call.

“Everything okay?” Christie asked.

Kelley sighed. “Not even close, but we’re working on it,” she answered.

“Don’t give up on her,” the older woman said. “Hope needs you now, more than ever.”

“I know,” Kelley replied. “I know, it’s just hard when she won’t talk to me,” she explained.

“Then you make her by showing just how much you love and support her,” Christie said. “Now come on, let’s go get your ankle checked out.”

* * *

 

“So, you’ll be back to playing in a week or so,” Christie said as she helped the younger woman into her house.

“Yeah,” Kelley said with a small smile. “Just sucks I have to wait.”

“Well, you don’t want to make it worse,” the captain reminded. “Take it easy this week, and the staff will reevaluate the next.” She helped Kelley to the couch, gently helping her sit.

“I know,” the right back said. “I’ll just suck it up and take it a day at a time.”

Christie smiled. “That’s just about all you can do,” she said. “Now I believe you promised to call both Hope and Carli?”

Kelley nodded. “Yeah. I’ll do that now. I’m pretty sure Carli won’t sleep until she hears from me.”

The captain laughed. “And everyone thinks Hope’s the overprotective one in the relationship.”

Kelley groaned, laying across the couch. “Honestly, Carli’s worse,” she said.

“Well, call them and put them at ease,” Christie said. “If you need anything, just call, okay?”

Kelley nodded. “I will. Thanks, Cap,” she said gratefully.

Christie nodded, then left.

The defender pulled her phone out and wondered who to call first. Deciding it’d be better to call Carli first, she taps the midfielder’s number.

“Hey, Kel,” Carli greeted.

“Hey,” the defender said.

“You get the x-ray results back?”

“Yep,” Kelley confirmed. “There’s no tear. I just have to stay off it for the next week, and see where I’m at after that,” she explained.

“That’s good,” Carli said. “I know you hate not being able to play, but you don’t need to make it worse by playing too soon.”

“I know, Cap told me the same thing,” the defender grumbled.

“And she’s right, so listen to her,” Carli ordered gently. “Did Hope call you earlier?” she asked, changing the subject.

“Yeah,” Kelley replied. “She told me she’s not playing tomorrow, and she’s considering just taking the rest of the season off.”

“Are you okay with that?”

“Hope needs to do what she needs to get back to a good place,” Kelley reasoned. “And if her not playing out the rest of the season is what needs to happen, I’m behind her a hundred percent,” she stated firmly.

“Okay, so we’re on the same page then,” the midfielder said. “Kelley, I need you to listen to what I’m about to say and not argue, okay?” she pleads.

“Okay,” the defender replied skeptically.

“If anyone asks you about the suspension, you need to not say anything,” Carli stated.

“What? Why?” Kelley questioned defensively. “Carli, this whole thing is bullshit and you know it,” she argues.

The older woman sighed. “I know that, Kel. But for right now not making any comments is for the best,” she explained. “And I’m not telling you this as a captain. Hope told me it’s better if you don’t say anything to the media right now,” she added.

“But if someone on the team asks?”

“If someone on the team asks, you can answer however you want,” Carli answered. “Well, within reason. You don’t need to completely go off on anyone,” she said pointedly.

“And Hope said she wanted this?” Kelley asked for clarification.

“She did,” Carli confirmed. “She doesn’t want anything you say to affect your spot on the team,” she explained. “I know it sucks, Kel,” she said quietly.

Kelley sighed. “It really fucking sucks,” she agreed. “But if Hope wants me to stay quiet, I will,” she stated. “I’m not happy about it, but I’ll do it.”

“I know you aren’t, I’m not either,” Carli replied. “But it’s what Hope wants you to do, she just didn’t want to tell you.”

“Why not?”

Carli sighed. “She doesn’t really think after how she shut us out that she had the right to ask,” she explained.

Kelley shook her head, sighing. “She’s so freaking frustrating sometimes,” she muttered. “Okay, I promise I won’t say anything if any reporters ask. But if someone on the team says something, I’m not holding back,” she warned.

“I’m not going to stop you unless it gets out of hand,” the midfielder replied. “I should let you go,” she added. “Hope’s going to want to know how the x-ray went, and I’m sure you probably want to sleep.”

“Yeah, I promised Hope I’d call you first so you’d stop worrying, then call her,” the defender responded.

“I wasn’t worried,” Carli replied, offended

“Carli, you wouldn’t stop asking if I was okay after I got hit in the face in the quarterfinal at the World Cup,” Kelley countered.

‘Okay, fine, maybe I was a little worried,” the midfielder relented. “But Kel, you could hardly walk off the field tonight. What was I supposed to think?” she asked.

“Okay, fine. Fair point,” Kelley replied. “But I’m fine, a week or two of rest and I’ll be back to playing,” she said.

“Okay,” the midfielder said. “I’ll let you go. Call Hope, I have a feeling she’s worried it’s the worst case scenario,” she added.

“Okay,” Kelley said. “I love you, Carli. I’ll see you soon at camp.”

“Love you too, Kel. See you soon,” the midfielder echoed, then ended the call.

Kelley quickly dialed the keeper’s number.

Hope answered on the second ring. “Hey, everything okay?”

“Yeah,” the defender replied. “I won’t be playing next week, not sure about the week after,” she explained.

“But it’s not anything serious?”

“No, I’ll be back to playing soon,” Kelley said. “Have you decided what you’re going to do?” she asked quietly.

Hope sighed. “I’m not going to return for the rest of the season,” she answered. “Kop’s been doing an amazing job, so the back line is in good hands. I just don’t think I can get myself to a point mentally to where I can play,” she explained. “And, while I know I have most of the team’s support, Megan’s comments hurt, and I don’t think I can play right now knowing that’s how she feels,” she finished sadly.

“Hope, you have my support, no matter what,” Kelley says firmly. “I don’t care what the others think, this is complete bullshit and you deserved a hell of a lot better than this,” she states emphatically.

“Thanks, Kel,” Hope replies. “Listen, I know you want to defend me to the media, but you can’t say anything,” she said softly.

“I know,” Kelley sighed. “Carli already told me not to answer reporters’ questions,” she explained. “Can I ask why?” she questioned quietly.

The older woman sighed. “I don’t want any backlash coming to you because of me,” she replied. “I don’t know if they would do anything, but Kel, this isn’t worth you losing your spot on the team, too.”

“This fucking sucks,” Kelley mumbled.

“I know,” Hope whispered. “I know, baby, but this is my own fault, and I’m not dragging you down with me,” she said.

“Okay,” the defender relented. “What are you going to do now?” she asked.

“Well, I was thinking of flying out to be with you, since you’re not playing next week,” Hope answered. “Is that okay?” she asked shyly.

Kelley laughed. “Hope, you don’t even have to ask,” she said. “It’ll probably be good for you to get out of Seattle right now,” she mused.

“Yeah, I think so, too,” the keeper agreed. “I’m going to go down to Houston afterwards to spend time with Carli,” she added.

“And after the season’s over?”

“Well, we’ll figure out if we want to stay in Seattle still or not,” Hope said.

“We’ll have to wait til December to make major decisions,” Kelley mused. “We have camp and friendlies in October and early November, assuming Carli and I both get called up we’ll be busy,” she explained.

“I doubt she would leave you guys off,” Hope replied.

Kelley scoffed. “At this point, who the hell knows?” she asked rhetorically. The defender yawned, stretching out across the sofa.

“You tired, babe?” the keeper asked softly.

“Sort of,” Kelley mumbled. “But I don’t want to hang up,” she whined.

“But you did with Carli?” Hope asked amusedly.

“Only because I wanted to make sure you weren’t completely freaking out about my injury,” the younger replied sheepishly.

The keeper laughed. “It’s okay, Kel. I won’t tell her you love me more,” she teased.

Kelley groaned. “I didn’t mean it like that and you know it,” she grumbled.

“I know you didn’t,” Hope relented. “Although, maybe I’ll go to Houston first instead of Jersey,” she joked.

“No! Carli can still play. You have to come keep me company,” the defender argued. “We’ll go to Houston for the final and then figure out what to do afterwards.”

“Whatever you say,” the older woman replied. “Alright, you should go to bed,” she urged gently. “I’ll look for a flight in the morning and let you know,” she added.

“Okay,” Kelley mumbled, beginning to fall asleep. “Love you, Solo,” she stated softly.

“Love you, too, baby,” Hope echoed. “I’ll text you the flight info tomorrow.”

“Kay,” the defender said.

“Go to bed,” Hope ordered gently. “I’ll see you soon. I love you.”

“Love you, too,” the defender replied sleepily, and the two ended the call.

Kelley wasn’t sure what the future held, but as long as she had Hope and Carli, she figured she’d be okay.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't planning on adding a second chapter, but then I got bored and this idea hit me. The ending sucks and just kind of stops awkwardly, but I'm definitely not the best at writing so oh well. :/

“Hope, I said I could pick you up from the airport,” Kelley said on the other end of the phone call.

“I know, but you need to stay off your ankle today, and Christie said she didn’t mind,” Hope reasoned as she waited for her luggage.

“I can still walk on it, you know,” the defender grumbled. “I’m not completely useless.”

“Hey, I never said that,” Hope admonished softly. “But you don’t need to do anything more than necessary on it right now. Christie’s picking me up and I’ll be there soon,” she promised.

“Ugh, I’m tired of waiting,” the defender complained.

“Kel, you just saw me like two weeks ago,” Hope said through a laugh, grabbing her bags.

“Yeah, but that wasn’t enough,” Kelley argued. “I hate having to be separated from you guys,” she said in a whisper.

Hope sighed. “I know, babe. I do, too,” she replied quietly. “But, I’m on my way, and the season’s almost over. We can figure out what to do next,” she said.

“As long as I’m with you guys, I don’t care what we do,” Kelley stated firmly.

“That’s so cheesy,” the older woman replied, laughing.

“You love it,” Kelley stated.

“I do,” Hope agreed. “Hey, I see Cap, so I’m going to go,” she said. “I’ll be there soon.”

“I can’t wait,” Kelley replied. “I love you, baby.”

“I love you too,” Hope echoed. “See you soon,” she said then ended the call.

The keeper walked over to where Christie was waiting. “Hey, Cap,” she greeted. “Thanks for giving me a ride,” she said gratefully.

Christie shook her head, pulling Hope into a hug. “No thanks needed, I’m happy to help,” she said.

“Still, thank you,” Hope repeated. “I didn’t exactly give much notice. I’m sure you had other things you could have been doing.”

“Hope, stop. It’s fine,” Christie said softly. “If I wasn’t able to do it, I would have said so,” she reasoned. “Now come on,” she continued. “I know a certain right back who’s waiting to see you,” she finished.

Hope smiled, following the captain. “I know, I had about twenty texts telling me how excited she was when I got off the plane,” she explained.

The older woman shook her head with a laugh. “That sounds like Kelley,” she said as she led the way to the parking lot.

* * *

 

Christie pulled up outside Kelley’s house.

“I’m not quite sure if her roommates are home or not,” she said as they got out and grabbed Hope’s bags.

Hope shook her head. “That’s okay. I don’t think we’re planning on doing anything tonight,” she replied.

They walked to the front door, and after checking and finding it unlocked, walked into the house.

“Kelley?” Christie called out.

“One sec!” the defender called from the kitchen, then appeared in the front room. “Hope!” she exclaimed, then moved to hug her girlfriend.

The keeper returned the hug, wrapping her arms around Kelley tightly, kissing the top of her head. “Hey, Kel,” she greeted softly.

“I’m so happy you’re here.”

Hope smiled. “Me, too. I think getting out of Seattle was a really good idea,” she said. “You okay?” she asked concernedly, pulling back to look her girlfriend over.

Kelley nodded. “Yeah, mostly. My ankle still hurts to stand on too long,” she answered.

“Hey, I’m going to head out and leave you guys alone,” Christie interjected. “Kelley, don’t do anything too strenuous. We need you back to finish off the season,” she said firmly.

“Aye, aye, Cap,” Kelley replied with a mock salute, earning an eye roll from her captain.

Hope shook her head, walking over to hug the older woman. “Thanks again, Christie,” she said. “I owe you one.”

Christie shook her head. “I think it’s more like you owe the girls one,” she joked. “They were extremely upset I didn’t let them come with,” she explained.

“Tell them we’ll come by later this week before Hope leaves,” Kelley says.

“They’re going to hold you guys to that,” Christie warned.

“We’ll come by in a couple of days,” Hope promised. “I haven’t seen them since the last time we played each other. I miss seeing them,” she said.

The older woman nodded. “Alright, I’ll tell them. We can figure out a day later,” she replied. “I’ll see you guys later,” she said, walking towards the door.

“Bye, Cap,” the couple said as Christie walked out.

“So, what’s the plan for tonight?” Hope asked as she moved the two of them to sit on the couch.

Kelley shrugged. “I figured you probably didn’t want to do much since you flew in today, and I don’t really want to do anything right now, so I’m not sure,” she replied.

“Alright, well, how about later tonight we call Carli,” Hope suggested. “And no, I don’t mean _that_ kind of call,” she added as Kelley started to speak, causing the defender to pout. “There’s some things I think we need to talk about,” she finished.

Kelley sighed. “I know,” she said. “Do you have any idea what you want to do?” she asked.

Hope shook her head. “Not really,” she answered. “I know I’m not going back for the rest of season,” she stated. “I don’t know if I want to go back next season or not,” she admitted quietly.

Kelley quirked an eyebrow. “Really?” she asked curiously.

Hope nodded, shifting them so they were laying across the couch. “I don’t know how comfortable I would be playing with Megan knowing what she thinks about the situation,” she explained. “I still have plenty of time to think about it though, and I haven’t actually made up my mind about anything.”

“Have you talked to Carli about any of this?” Kelley questioned.

“Yeah,” the keeper said. “A little bit, but enough that she knows I’m thinking of not returning,” she explained. “I’m also considering finally doing something about my shoulder,” she added.

“Yeah?” the defender asked sitting up.

Hope nodded. “It hurts all the fucking time and I don’t know how much longer I can take it,” she confessed.

“Okay. Than whatever it takes to fix it, you do it,” Kelley replied.

“I went to a specialist, and he said it’s going to take replacement surgery,” she explained with a grimace.

“Oh, so you’ll be bionic like me?” the defender asked teasingly, wiggling her ankle.

The older woman rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I will,” she confirmed.

“But in the meantime, what are you going to be doing?” Kelley asked seriously.

Hope sighed. “I don’t know. I have a couple of interviews and appearances scheduled to talk about the national team and the pay equality stuff,” she said. “I’m still going to fight for you guys to get equal payment, even if I’m no longer a part of the team,” she stated.

The defender smiled, laying back down into Hope’s side. “I know you will,” she replied, pulling the keeper into a kiss.

“So, do you want to go out for dinner or order take out?” the keeper asked. “Because I don’t necessarily want to make anything at the moment.”

Kelley laughed. “We can do take out,” she answered. “How about we get dinner then call Carli?” she suggested. “I don’t know when Sam and the rest of them are getting back, but I figure we’ll want to be in my room when they get back.”

“Sounds good,” Hope mumbled, her eyes closing.

“You tired, babe?”

The keeper hummed. “I didn’t sleep much on the plane,” she admitted. “Or last night either, to be honest.”

Kelley grabbed her phone from the coffee table. “I’ll set an alarm and we can sleep for a bit,” she said, then placed her phone back on the table.

“Okay,” Hope replied quietly, already half asleep. She pulled the younger woman in tighter, and the two quickly fell asleep.

* * *

 

“So, are we doing this over Skype or phone?” Kelley asked later as she and Hope finished their dinner in the defender’s bedroom.

The older woman shrugged. “It’d probably be easier to use Skype,” she answered. “You did tell her about your injury, right?” she asked.

“Yes, babe, I did,” she answered. “I still don’t know which one of you is worse when it comes to me being injured,” she said.

“Sorry for being concerned, I’ll try harder not to be in the future,” Hope deadpanned.

The defender rolled her eyes.”Whatever,” she muttered, though her smile showed her amusement. “Let me grab my laptop and we can call her,” she said, walking over to her desk and grabbing the device.

“Alright. I sent her a text letting her know,” Hope replied, setting her phone on the bed.

The defender booted up her laptop, then loaded the Skype app.

Hope’s phone vibrated, and she picked it up, reading the screen. “Carli’s ready whenever,” she said.

Kelley clicked on the midfielder’s contact name, and the call connected.

“Hey, guys,” Carli greeted. “What’s up?”

“Hey, babe,” Kelley replied.

“We wanted to talk to you about some things,” Hope said.

“Okay,” the midfielder replied. “Like what?”

“Well, for starters, I think it’s time I finally did something about my shoulder,” Hope stated. “It hurts too much to ignore anymore.”

“Fucking finally,” Carli muttered. “God, Hope, you can barely lift your arm above your head. I was beginning to think you’d never do anything about it,” she explained.

“You didn’t tell me it was _that_ bad,” Kelley said, looking at the older woman. “I knew it was bad, but damn, Hope. That’s bad.”

Hope shrugged. “I didn’t want you to worry about it,” she replied.

Kelley rolled her eyes. “So you guys are allowed to be worried about me, but I’m not allowed to be worried about you?” she questioned.

“Okay, fine, I should have told you,” the keeper relented.

“Alright, so what are you going to do about it?” Carli asked, bringing the discussion back.

“I went to see a specialist and he said I need complete shoulder replacement surgery,” Hope answered.

“She’s going to be part bionic like me,” Kelley interjected. “We’re going to start a club,” she joked.

Carli rolled her eyes. “When are you going to do it?” she asked the keeper.

“When I get back to Seattle,” Hope replied. “It’ll be a little while yet since I’m coming to Houston after this.”

Carli shook her head. “No, forget about coming here,” she said. “Go back and get the surgery.”

Hope frowned. “What?”

“When you’re visit with Kel is over, go back to Seattle and get the surgery,” the midfielder stated. “We only have two home games left, and I’ll be busy training during the week anyways. Go back, get the surgery, and when the season is over, we’ll figure out the rest,” she insisted.

“I’m not going to get you to change your mind?”

“Nope,” Carli replied.

Hope sighed in defeat. “Fine,” she relented.

“Alright that’s settled, what next?” Kelley asked.

“I’m sorry for the way I treated you guys after the news of the suspension came out,” Hope apologized quietly. “I was a jerk and I shouldn’t have shut you out like that.”

Carli sighed. “Hope, we told you, it’s okay,” she said. “Yeah, it hurt, but you promised to be better at not doing that anymore,” she reminded.

“Yeah, babe,” Kelley said, leaning into the keeper’s side. “We’re not mad at you because eventually you opened up.”

Hope looked away, tears forming. “I just- this fucking sucks,” she muttered.

“Well, yeah,” Carli agreed.

“But you’re going to go to those interviews and drag USSF and let everyone know how shitty they really are,” Kelley stated.

Hope laughed. “I don’t know about that,” she said.

“Fine, but you’re going to give them hell,” the defender replied.

“Whatever you say, Kel,” the keeper replied, pulling the younger woman into a kiss.

“Hey, none of that while I can see you,” Carli complained.

Hope rolled her eyes. “Just be glad we didn’t make this the kind of call Kelley wanted,” she retorted.

The midfielder rolled her eyes. “You would, Kelley,” she said exasperatedly.

Kelley laughed. “Hey, it would have been a lot of fun,” she countered.

“Maybe, but I don’t need your roommates hearing that,” Carli responded.

The defender pouted. “You guys are no fun,” she whined, earning a flick on the ear from Hope. “Ow! You suck,” she grumbled.

“So now that we’ve established what I’m doing in the next couple of weeks,” Hope started, ignoring the younger woman. “What are we doing after the NWSL season ends?” she asked.

“Well, assuming Kel and I both make the rosters, we’ll be busy in October and November with friendlies,” Carli said.

“Okay, but what about the break in December and then when we’re not playing with our club teams?” Hope asked.

“Are you going to go back to the Reign next season?” Kelley questioned.

Hope sighed. “I don’t know. I want to, but I don’t know,” she admitted.

“Well, there’s still plenty of time to figure that out,” Carli reminded. “And, getting the surgery done will tell you whether you can or not,” she stated.

“I’ll be able to play,” Hope fired back.

The midfielder raised her hands in surrender. “I’m just saying. It’ll be okay if you don’t play next season,” she said gently.

“So what are we going to do in the off season?” Kelley asked, changing the subject.

Hope fidgeted slightly in her spot.

“What?” Kelley asked.

The keeper shook her head. “It’s nothing,” she said. “It’s just a dumb thought I had the other day,” she mumbled.

“Hope, nothing you think could be dumb,” Carli replied firmly.

Hope hesitated, biting her lip. “Have you guys thought about starting a family?” she asked quietly.

Her girlfriends stared at her in shock.

Hope looked away. “I told you it was dumb,” she mumbled.

The midfielder recovered first. “Hope, no, it wasn’t dumb. It was just a surprise,” she stated.

“So you haven’t thought about it then?”

Carli shook her head. “I mean, I guess I have, yeah,” she answered. “But we were busy with the World Cup and then the Olympics and everything in between, I just kind of forgot,” she explained.

“I know, that’s why I never brought it up,” Hope responded. “But now there’s three years to the next major tournament. Maybe we could think about it?” she suggested shyly.

Kelley leaned into the keeper’s side, wrapping her arms around the older woman. “I think we should think about it,” she said, and Carli nodded in agreement.

“Maybe when we’re all together, we’ll really talk about it, and look into our options,” the defender added.

The midfielder smiled. “That sounds like a good idea.”

Hope sighed in relief. “I thought you guys were going to say no and call me crazy,” she admitted quietly.

Carli laughed. “Babe, if we haven’t left you yet, I don’t think we would over suggesting starting a family,” she said.

“Come on, Hope, that’s just ridiculous,” Kelley agreed.

Hope nodded. “I know,” she said.

“Okay, so,” Kelley began. “Hope’s going to get shoulder surgery then we’re going to finally get back together and discuss possible ways of starting a family, all while Hope goes out and destroys the patriarchy, yeah?” she summarized.

Carli rolled her eyes, trying to contain her smile, while Hope laughed.

“Sure, Kel, if that’s how you see it,” the keeper confirmed.

“I mean, if we want to skip over the family part, we could just adopt a bunch of dogs like Tobin and Christen plan to,” the defender joked.

“Kelley, if you think we’re getting another dog while we already have two plus a cat, think again,” Carli stated.

“Awww,” the younger woman pouted.

“We’ll sneak another one in, babe, don’t worry,” Hope fake-whispered, sending the defender an exaggerated wink.

The midfielder rolled her eyes. “If you do, I’m not helping train to it,” she warned.

A shout and some laughter came from outside the bedroom.

“Sounds like the roomies are back,” Kelley said.

“I should probably go anyways,” Carli said. “I haven’t eaten yet, and we have an early training session tomorrow,” she explained.

“Right, so you’ll be in bed by eight thirty,” Kelley teased.

“Ignore her,” Hope said.

“Was planning on it,” the midfielder smirked, earning a pout from the defender. “Alright I should go,” she stated reluctantly. “I love you both, and can’t wait to see you when the season’s over.”

“Love you too,” the pair echoed.

“Night, babe,” Hope added, and they ended the call.

Kelley closed her laptop, placing it on the desk. “So, are we really going to get another dog?” she asked, slightly hopeful.

Hope laughed. “We’ll see,” she replied. “Right now though, I just want to enjoy the time I’m here with you.”

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a review if you'd like. 
> 
> I know it just ends and it feels awkward but I did my best and I'm going with it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My original intention was for this to be a one-shot, but it's turned into an actual story. I should have another chapter up in the next week, I only work two days this week so I might write a bunch of chapters just to have ones ready to post.
> 
> I totally forgot Carli wasn't going to be on the November camp roster, but it was suggested she be the one to have the baby, so I'm rolling with that, and thank you to the review who suggested that. :)
> 
> I also forgot Kelley had gone on that trip to Costa Rica with Ashlyn, so in this that didn't happen (shhh it's fiction).

“Are you sure you don’t want me to fly in?” Kelley asked the night of the last game of the season.

Hope sighed on the other end of the line. “If you really want to, you can,” she replied. “I just figured you’d be moving your stuff out of your house the next couple of days.”

“I can ship most of it to my parents’ house, and Cap said she could hold some of it until we figure out what we’re doing,” the defender replied.

“Fine, if you really want to be there, you can fly in,” Hope agreed.

“Good,” Kelley replied. “Because I already have a plane ticket for tomorrow,” she stated.

Hope sighed exasperatedly. “Of course you do,” she said.

“Hey, Carli and I didn’t want you doing this alone,” Kelley said gently.

“So Carli’s coming, too, then?”

“Of course,” the defender confirmed.

“You guys are crazy,” Hope replied.

“Maybe, but you love us, so that makes you crazy, too,” Kelley said.

The keeper laughed. “Fair enough.”

“So, you nervous?” Kelley asked seriously.

“Terrified,” Hope admitted. “What if I can’t make it back to playing?” she asked quietly.

Kelley thought quietly. “Hope, you can’t think like that, okay? If you can’t make it back, we’ll deal with that later,” she replied softly. “Even if you can’t, it’ll be okay,” she stated firmly.

“Yeah?” the older woman asked, unsure.

“Yeah. Everything will be fine,” Kelley reassured. “Maybe we can work on starting our family then,” she said thoughtfully.

“You guys really want to do that?” Hope questioned.

“Yes, Hope. We really do,” the younger woman replied. “I want to have kids with you guys,” she admitted shyly.

“Yeah?” Hope asked.

“Yeah,” Kelley confirmed. “I mean, I hope that’s what you meant by starting a family,” she mumbled.

Hope burst out laughing. “Yes, babe, that’s what I meant,” she said. “I don’t think Carli would let us adopt a bunch more dogs.”

“But we’re going to get another one, right?” Kelley asked hopefully.

“I don’t know,” Hope replied. “We’ll have to wait until after my surgery. We’ll talk about it later.”

“Fine,” Kelley replied, and the keeper could tell she was pouting.

“So are you going to go to final this weekend?” Hope asked.

“Well, Carli and I decided that I would stay with you, and she’d go to the final since most of the Dash team is going to be there,” Kelley replied.

“Oh, you guys decided? I don’t get a say?” Hope teased.

“No, because you would say you would be fine on your own and we don’t need to worry about you,” Kelley replied.

“You really don’t need to come,” Hope countered weakly.

“Hope Solo, stop. We’re going to be there,” Kelley stated firmly.

Hope sighed. “Okay,” she said. “I’m glad, actually,” she confessed quietly.

“Then why were you trying to stop us?” Kelley asked, confused.

“I don’t know, I figured it’d be easier to do it alone, but I’m really glad you’ll be there.”

“Good, because there was no way you were stopping us from being there.”

* * *

 

When Hope woke up, everything was hazy. She couldn’t figure out why, until she remembered she had had the surgery to fix her shoulder. She blinked a couple of times, and everything came into view.

“Hey, Hope, you awake?”

The keeper turned to see Kelley standing at the side of the hospital bed.

Yeah,” she croaked, feeling how dry her throat was.

Carli appeared with a cup of water, and helped her take a small sip. “You feel okay?” she asked concernedly.

“It doesn’t hurt,” Hope replied with a slur.

“That’s because they’ve got you on the really good pain meds,” Kelley said.

“You better not film anything,” the keeper warned weakly.

“I’m not, I swear,” Kelley promised.

“She’s not,” Carli confirmed.

“Good,” Hope said.

“Go back to sleep, babe,” the midfielder ordered gently. “The anaesthetic hasn’t completely worn off. You’ll feel better once you sleep it off,” she explained.

“Okay,” the keeper mumbled, already half asleep. “Love you guys,” she said before drifting off completely.

The other two smiled, though they didn’t reply, figuring Hope wouldn't hear them anyways.

“Please tell me you didn’t record anything,” Carli pleaded.

Kelley pouted. “Why do you guys assume I did?” she asked, offended. “I’m not like Pinoe, I didn’t record anything to use as blackmail,” she reassured.

The midfielder nodded. “Good.”

“Well, the hardest part is over,” Kelley said quietly after a minute.

“Do you not remember the last time Hope had surgery?” Carli asked incredulously. “This is the easy part. She’s going to be a pain in the ass in the following months,” she said.

The defender thought for a minute, then groaned, leaning into the midfielder. “Fuck, you’re right,” she mumbled. “I guess we signed up for it though, didn’t we?”

The older woman laughed. “Yeah, we did,” she agreed.

* * *

 

“Dammit,” Hope muttered the next day waiting for the discharge papers. “I was hoping not to have to use one of these this time,” she grumbled, playing with the strap of the sling her shoulder was in.

Kelley rolled her eyes. “Babe, it’s to keep your shoulder stable,” she reasoned. “You don’t want to ruin your chances of getting back to playing, do you?” she asked.

The keeper sighed. “No,” she replied.

“Okay, then don’t complain,” Kelley stated.

“You’re going to have to let us help you with a lot of things in the next couple of months,” Carli reminded softly.

The keeper sighed. “I know,” she said quietly. “I’m probably going to get annoyed with it,” she admitted, “but if it gets to be really bad, just yell at me or something,”

“Trust me, if it gets really bad, there will be a lot more than yelling,” the midfielder warned.

“I don’t doubt it,” Hope replied.

* * *

 

“Okay. I don’t fly back down to Houston for a few more days,” Carli began the next night as the three of them laid in bed. “Do we want to continue talking about what we discussed the other night?” she asked hesitantly.

Kelley shrugged. “We can,” she said.

“First of all, I need to tell you guys something,” Hope stated.

“Okay,” her girlfriends said.

The keeper let out a deep breath. “I still don’t know if I’ll return to the Reign next season, but even if I do, I need to get out of Seattle,” she stated.

Kelley looked at her in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Hope sighed. “You know the problems with the media and random people just showing up at the door?”

Carli and Kelley nodded.

“It’s gotten a hell of a lot worse since the Olympics,” she admitted. “Actually, since before the Olympics. I think it’d be for the best if we sold the house and moved somewhere else,” she stated.

The younger women looked at her in shock.

“Wait, you really want to move out of Seattle?” Carli asked.

“Out of Washington in general,” Hope confessed. “I just, I don’t want to deal with random strangers showing up at the door. I really think just moving elsewhere is for the best,” she explained.

“Okay, but where would you go?” Kelley asked. “And where would you stay if you returned to the Reign?”

“Well, I could just rent an apartment or something for the season,” Hope answered. “As for the first part, that’s where the discussing starting a family comes in.”

“How so?” Carli asked.

“I’m assuming we’re all in agreement that starting a family means we all want kids, right?” the keeper stated.

“Yeah,” Kelley said, and Carli nodded in agreement.

“Okay, how do we want to do that?” Hope questioned. “Do we want to look into adoption? Or having a baby of our own?”

“If we had a baby of our own, how do we decide who would carry it?” Kelley asked.

Carli sat up, turning to face the other two. “If you guys want, I can do it,” she said hesitantly.

Hope and Kelley looked at her in surprise.

“You would want to?” Kelley asked, shocked. She shook her head. “Wait, that didn’t come out right,” she added hurriedly.

The midfielder laughed. “No, it’s okay, Kel. I think I shocked myself, too,” she said.

“But seriously, Car, would you want to?” Hope asked.

“I think so,” Carli replied quietly. “There’s three years to the next tournament, so if we started trying now, there would be enough time for me to work my way back to the team,” she explained. “And, Kelley would still be able to play, and maybe carry the next one, or Hope could, if we decided we wanted another baby in the future,” she reasoned.

“Yeah, that sounds reasonable,” Kelley agreed. “What do you think, babe?” she asked, turning towards the keeper.

Hope smiled. “I think we figured out how we’re going to start our family,” she said happily. “I guess the only thing now would be to schedule an appointment to start,” she mused.

“It’ll have to be after this upcoming camp,” Carli pointed out. “We’ll talk to Jill and Dawn and let them know what’s happening. And I’ll have to talk to Randy and the Dash staff.”

“Awww man,” Kelley pouted. “I’ll be the only one of us at camps,” she complained.

“And you better kick ass,” Hope stated.

“But I’ll be lonely without you guys,” the defender said, laying across Hope’s legs carefully.

“Well, think of it this way. If everything works out, you’ll have us and a baby to come home to,” Carli said.

Kelley thought for a minute, then smiled widely. “That sounds like an awesome thing to come back to,” she agreed. “Wait, you never said where you would move to if you sold the house, Hope,” she said.

“Well, assuming you’d be playing with Sky Blue still, it’d probably be best to buy or rent a house in Jersey,” the keeper replied.

“That sounds like the most logical idea,” Carli agreed.

“So, after we get back from camp, we’re going to look into having a baby and getting a house in Jersey?” Kelley asked.

“Yep,” Carli replied.

“Sounds like a plan,” Hope agreed.

“Awesome,” Kelley said with a smile. “Wonder how the team’s going to take the news,” she mused.

Carli laughed. “They probably won’t believe it,” she replied.

“I don’t think any of them are expecting you to be the one who carries the baby,” Hope stated.

“I don’t think so either,” the midfielder agreed. “Kelley, though, they definitely would have expected you to do it,” she said.

Kelley shrugged. “It makes the most sense this way,” she said easily.

“Right, so after the league final, we’re making an appointment to have a baby, yeah?” Hope asked.

Kelley and Carli both smiled. “Absolutely,” they both replied.

“Who wants to be the one to tell the team?” the midfielder asked.

“Well, if you talk to Jill and Dawn, I’ll tell the team,” Kelley suggested.

“Okay, sounds fair,” Carli agreed.

“I can start working on finding a house somewhere in Jersey,” Hope added. “We could ask Christie to keep an eye on the real estate up there.”

Kelley groaned at the mention of the former national team captain. “Shit, Hope. We forgot to go see Reece and Rylie while you were there,” she said.

The keeper groaned, looking towards the ceiling. “You’re right.”

Carli burst out laughing. “Oh, you guys are so dead,” she stated.

“Don’t remind us,” Hope mumbled.

“So, we’re doing this?” Carli asked.

Kelley nodded. “We’re doing this,” she confirmed.

“We’re doing this,” Hope agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a review if you'd like! 
> 
> I know it's shorter than the others, but if this is going to be an actual fic, the chapters are going to vary in length from now on.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little different format but it'll go back to normal next chapter. The next chapter should also be longer too, but I wanted the conversations with the two teams out of the way first.
> 
> And yes, I know Pinoe and Abby are not featured in the chat.

“Hey, Carli,” Hope greeted as she answered her phone. “You make it to Houston okay?”

“Yeah,” the midfielder replied. “I’m headed back to the house now. Everything okay there?”

The keeper laughed. “It’s only been a few hours, babe. Everything’s fine. Stop worrying so much,” she replied.

“Okay, fine,” Carli sighed. “I’m only worried because you had major surgery a few days ago and I don’t want you trying to rush your recovery,” she explained.

“I know, and I appreciate that,” Hope replied. “But I promise I’m not going to do anything to ruin my recovery. I’m going to show everyone that I’m not done just yet,” she explained.

“Sounds like you’re doing this out of spite,” the midfielder joked.

“That’s a slight motivator if I’m honest,” Hope said. “But seriously, stop worrying and enjoy your time in Houston.”

“Okay, okay,” the midfielder relented. “I was just calling to tell you I got in okay and to make sure it’s still okay that I tell the Dash players our plans after I talk to the coaching staff.”

“Yeah, that’s fine,” Hope answered. “Kelley and I were going to ask you if it was okay if we used the World Cup team group text to tell everyone, since not everyone is in the current group chat,” she said.

“I didn’t realize we still had that group chat,” Carli admitted. “But sure, you guys can do that. Just do it after I talk to the team. I don’t need Morgan telling anyone before I can myself.”

“That’s because you never used it,” Hope replied with a laugh. “I think the last time it was used was when Amy had her son. It’s not used as often anymore,” she explained. “And alright, we’ll do it after the game.”

“Fair point,” the midfielder conceded. “Yeah, you guys go ahead and do that, I’m going to talk the girls here tomorrow before the game starts,” she stated.

“Well good luck with that conversation,” Hope said. “I have a feeling there may be fights about who gets to be the godparent,” she added.

“Fuck,” the midfielder swore. “Not just from the Dash though. The national team, too,” she pointed out.

“Oh, shit,” Hope said. “Well this will be fun for both conversations then,” she amended.

“Yeah well at least you and Kel aren’t doing it face to face with the team,” Carli mumbled. “Where is Kel anyways?” she asked.

“She took the dogs out for a run,” Hope answered. “I think. Unless she came back and then left to get dinner already,” she added.

“If you guys eat pizza the whole time I’m gone, tell Kelley I’m not hiding her from Dawn if she finds out,” the midfielder warned.

The keeper laughed. “I’ll tell her that, but we won’t be eating pizza every night,” she said.

“Oh I’m going to talk to Jill tomorrow, too, about not being in camp next month and possibly for the foreseeable future,” Carli added.

“Alright, good,” Hope replied.

“Alright I should go. I’ll call you tomorrow to let you know how everything went,” the midfielder said.

“Okay. Love you, babe,” Hope said.

“Love you, too. Tell Kel, too.”

“Yeah, I will,” the keeper promised, and they ended the call.

Carli sighed as she made her way out of the airport. She was not looking forward to telling the Dash team their plans now.

* * *

 

_Day of the NWSL Final_

Carli had gathered the team in one of the conference rooms at the Dash stadium.

“What’s up, Carli?” Morgan asked as she took a seat. “Your text sounded pretty urgent.”

“It sort of is,” the older midfielder replied. “This is going to come out in one of the group chats for the national team, but I didn’t want you saying before I had the chance to tell all of you,” she explained.

“What’s going on?” Kealia asked.

Carli let out a long breath. “Depending on how things go, I may not be playing next season because Hope, Kelley, and I are going to try and have a baby,” she stated quickly.

There was a moment of shocked silence before Morgan exclaimed, “Seriously?!”

Carli nodded. “Yeah. I’ve already talked to Randy so he knows, and I’ve talked to Jill and told her I would be missing next month’s camp, and probably any future camps for a while,” she answered.

“So you’re going to be the one having the baby?” Becca asked.

The midfielder nodded. “Yeah. Hope’s recovering from the surgery and Kelley will still be playing for the national team.”

“So there could be a little O’Harli baby sometime next year?” Morgan asked.

Carli rolled her eyes. “Remind me to kill Pinoe for that nickname,” she mumbled. “Yes, if everything goes well the three of us will have a baby next year,” she confirmed.

The team broke out in excited shouts and smiles.

“Wait, who’s going to be the godparent?” Bianca asked.

Immediately an argument started between Morgan and Kealia.

“Look what you did, B,” Cari groaned, and the keeper shrugged.

“Neither of you will if you keep arguing,” Carli said and the two younger players stopped. “We haven’t even started the process yet, so we aren’t thinking about that just yet,” she stated. “But Moe, Kealia, it would be appreciated if you didn’t tell anyone on the national team until Hope and Kel get a chance to through the group chat.”

“No problem,” the two in question said.

The midfielder smiled. “Thanks.”

“So when are you guys starting?” Mel asked.

“We’ve got appointment after these next two friendlies,” Carli answered. “I know it’s a little unexpected, but we figured with the three years between the next major tournament, now’s the time to try,” she explained.

“Who’s baby is it going to be?” Morgan asked curiously.

Carli shrugged. “We haven’t talked about that yet, but once I get back to Seattle that’s something we’ll discuss,” she replied. “Oh, just so you all know, if it does work, I won’t be in Houston throughout the pregnancy,” she added. “Hope wants to move out of Seattle completely, so we’re going to be looking for a place in Jersey.”

“Damn,” Becca said.

“ _Hope_ wants to move out of _Seattle_?” Morgan asked incredulously.

“Yeah, for a few reasons that I don’t want to say,” Carli answered.

“Does it have anything to do with the aftermath of the Olympics?” Lydia asked.

The midfielder sighed. “Partly. But she’s been thinking about this for a while and Kelley and I agree it’s probably for the best,” she answered. “Anyways, that’s what I needed to tell you guys. Morgan, be prepared because Hope and Kelley are using the World Cup group chat to tell people,” she said.

“The one from the World Cup?” Morgan asked and the older woman nodded. “Haven’t used that one in awhile, why are they using it?”

“Probably just to keep the others who retired or aren’t on the roster in the loop,” Carli answered with a shrug.

“Oh, that makes sense,” the  younger midfielder said.

“And if you guys could not say anything that would be appreciated, too,” Carli said to the team. “We’re telling the people that matter right now, but we want to keep it to that,” she explained.

The other players nodded their agreement, and they all began to disperse to find their seats for the game.

* * *

 

_2015 World Cup roster group chat_

**Hope:** Hey guys, there’s something we want to tell you all.

 **Alex:** ‘We’? Like you, KO and Carli?

 **KO:** Yep.

 **Ash:** You better not be retiring Solo.

 **Hope:** That’s not what we need to tell you guys.

 **Ash:** Good. You’re not allowed to yet.

 **Hope:** Didn’t realize when I retire is determined by you, but thanks.

 **Cap:** What did you guys need to tell us?

 **Hope:** Carli’s not going to be on the November roster.

 **KO:** We’re going to start trying to have a baby.

 **Alex:** NO WAY

 **Kling:** Seriously?!

 **Chups:** That’s awesome!

 **Cap:** You guys are going to be amazing parents!

 **Boxxy:** That’s amazing guys, I’m so excited for you!

 **Syd:** WHAT

 **Press:** Awwww you guys that’s awesome!

 **Syd:** OH MY GOD

 **JJ:** This is so exciting!

 **HAO:** Oh man I'm so excited for you guys!

 **Syd:** IT’S HAPPENING

 **Arod:** You guys are going to be amazing parents!

 **Syd:** THE O’HARLI BABY IS COMING

 **Cheney:** I’m so happy for you guys!

 **Tobin:** Like a real baby???

 **KO:** Yeah you goof, a real baby.

 **Ash:** Wtf else would it be Tobs? And that’s awesome guys! They’re going to be the best keeper!

 **Tobin:** Oh cool!

 **Kriegs:** Be nice, Ash.

 **Kriegs:** Oh my god, I’m so happy for you guys! So this means there’ll be another baby to spoil?

 **Syd:** OH MY GOD

 **Broon:** You alright there Syd? And that’s awesome guys! I’m so happy for you!

 **Syd:** NO THERE’S GOING TO BE AN O’HARLI BABY I AM NOT OKAY!

 **Whit:** Syd you have your own kid…..

 **Syd:** I don’t care I have been waiting for this since those three got together!

 **Hope:** Seriously Syd?

 **Syd:** You all can’t honestly tell me I wasn’t the only one.

 **Alex:** Okay, but none of us were hoping for it to happen right when they got together.

 **Syd:** Pinoe was.

 **Alyssa:** Wait, Carli won’t be in the November camp?

 **Hope:** Yeah, she’s going to be the one to carry the baby.

 **Alex:** Not Kelley?

 **KO:** Not this time. We figured if Carli does it now, she’ll have enough time to work back to the team.

 **Arod:** That makes sense.

 **JJ:** Hey Broon, looks like you’ll be the only captain at camp now.

 **Broon:** Oh god……

“Think Broon will survive without Carli?” Kelley asked as she and Hope sat on the couch reading the chat.

The keeper laughed. "I’m sure she’ll survive. Maybe try to tone down your shenanigans though to help her out, okay?” she replied.

Kelley nodded. “Okay, fine.”

 **Hope:** If it helps Kel just promised to try not to cause problems for you, Becky.

 **Broon:** Believe it or not that does help.

 **KO:** Wow, that hurts, Broon.

 **Carli:** I see you’ve all heard. Sorry Becky.

 **Broon:** It’s fine, I’ll manage.

 **Ash:** Gotta say Lloyd, wasn’t expecting you to be the one to have the baby.

 **Kling:** Hey where’s Moe?

 **Moe:** Ha I found out before all of you!

 **Syd:** WHAT NO FAIR I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS WHY YOU GOTTA RUIN IT?!

 **Hope:** Syd if you don’t control yourself you’ll never meet the kid.

 **Syd:** No you can’t! I’ll control myself I swear!

 **Carli:** Oh god what have we gotten ourselves into…..

 **Cap:** Good luck guys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a review if you'd like! I always appreciate you guys telling me how you feel about the fic so if there's something you don't like let me know!
> 
> And I'm not quite sure who's baby it's going to be or how this is going to work with a threesome pairing just yet, so if you have any thoughts let me know!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meant to update last night but didn't get this chapter done.
> 
> It's finally getting to the point where the real story begins, lol.
> 
> Okay so I don't know the legalities of marriage between more than 2 people, so I'm still figuring out if that's going to happen in this fic or not. Also, I don't know how the parental rights stuff is going to work with 3 people, but I'll figure that out somehow, too.

A couple days after the final Carli was back in Seattle with Hope and Kelley. The three were in the kitchen as the keeper and Kelley cooked dinner.

“So, have we put anymore thought into the process of having a baby?” Carli asked.

Kelley looked at her in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I’m assuming biologically they’ll be mine,” she said, and got two nods of agreement. “But do we want a random donor or someone with features like one of both of you?” she asked.

Hope stopped what she was doing and thought for a moment. “I mean, we’re probably not going to find someone that looks exactly like either of us, so we pick some features of both Kel and I and look for those in the donor,” she suggested.

“Kel?” Carli questioned, looking to the defender.

Kelley shrugged. “It sounds like the logical thing to do,” she replied.

“We don’t have to figure all of it out right now,” Hope reminded them.

“You’re right,” the midfielder agreed. “But it’d be nice to at least have a plan going into this,” she reasoned.

Hope shrugged. “Fair enough,” she said.

“I just want to know how we’re going to deal with the team at camp,” Kelley said, grabbing ingredients out of the fridge. “Because you know they’re not going to leave either of us alone until we tell them everything,” she stated.

Carli groaned, resting her head on the table. “I don’t think I’ll ever be prepared for that,” she mumbled.

“You guys could always just tell them you don’t want to talk about it,” Hope said with a laugh.

Kelley scoffed. “You know that doesn’t work, they just keep asking until you give in,” she retorted.

The older woman shrugged. “You might as well just let them ask their questions,” she said.

Carli sighed. “Fine, but none of them better ask about being a godmother,” she grumbled.

Hope laughed. “Have fun with that,” she replied.

The midfielder scoffed. “You’re not the one who has to deal with them,” she countered.

“I still wouldn’t be dealing with them if I was there, I’d be ignoring them,” the keeper replied.

“Yeah, like that’s possible,” Kelley mumbled.

“You don’t _have_ to tell them anything, you know,” Hope said. “It’s not really any of their business,” she reasoned. “We’ve already told them Carli won’t be in camp, that’s all they really need to know.”

The midfielder thought about that for a minute. “Yeah, you’re right,” she said eventually.

“Of course I am,” Hope replied cockily. “When am I ever wrong?” she asked with a wink.

Carli rolled her eyes. “Kel, hit her,” she said, and received a wounded look from the keeper.

“Uh, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Kelley said. “You know, with her shoulder and all.”

“Alright, fine,” the midfielder conceded.

“Besides, that would be spousal abuse,” Hope added.

“We’re not married,” Kelley argued.

The keeper rolled her eyes. “It’s a joke, Kel,” she teased.

“Whatever,” the defender mumbled.

* * *

 

A few days later, Kelley and Carli had arrived at the hotel the team was staying at for the first of the two games against Switzerland. They were sitting in a corner of the lobby talking with Hope on the phone.

“You guys make it there okay?” the keeper asked.

“Yeah, we made it just fine,” Kelley answered. “My hand survived a flight for once since you weren’t crushing it the entire flight,” she teased.

“Fuck off,” Hope replied without bite. “You know I hate flying,” she mumbled.

The defender laughed. “I know you do, I’m just messing with you,” she said.

“Are you guys ready for the game?”

“You mean are we ready to play in whatever crazy stupid game plan Jill comes up with?” the defender asked rhetorically.

“That, too,” Hope said with a laugh.

“I mean I’m ready to play, I just really don’t know what Jill’s plan is,” Kelley said.

“Yeah, we’ll just have to wait and see and hope it turns out okay,” Carli added.

“Oh god,” Kelley said unexpectedly, leaning onto the midfielder’s shoulder. “I see Ash talking to Dawn,” she groaned.

Carli rolled her eyes. “It’s not going to be that bad,” she said.

Hope laughed. “You guys have fun with that conversation,” she teased.

“You’re not even here, you don’t get to say anything,” Kelley whined.

“Whatever, babe,” the older woman said. “Like I said before, if you don’t want to tell them anything, don’t. It’s not actually their business,” she added.

Carli laughed. “You try telling Ashlyn that,” she said. “We’ll be fine though,” she promised.

“I know you will,” Hope replied. “And if anyone gives you problems, tell them I’ll fight them,” she joked.

The midfielder rolled her eyes. “No, you won’t,” she said.

Hope laughed. “You’re right, I won’t,” she agreed. “I’ll just give the bitch face everyone seems to fear,” she amended.

“I’m afraid of that look sometimes,” Kelley admitted quietly.

“Seriously?” the keeper asked with a chuckle.

“Hey, you’re not on the receiving end of it,” Kelley defended herself.

Carli looked over to the door to see more of the team arriving. “Hey, babe, we have to go,” she said apologetically. “The rest of the team is arriving and we have a short meeting once everyone’s here,” she explained.

Hope sighed. “Okay,” she said. “I love you guys, have fun during camp,” she stated.

“Love you, too, babe,” Kelley replied.

“Love you, Hope,” Carli echoed. “Please don’t do anything to mess up your shoulder,” she pleaded.

“I won’t, I swear,” the keeper promised. “Now go, you can call me back later,” she ordered softly.

“Alright, we’ll talk to you later,” the midfielder replied, then ended the call. “Come on, Kel,” she said to the defender, standing up. “Just ignore them as long as you can, we’ll talk to them later.”

Kelley groaned, following the older woman over to the team. “Fine,” she relented. “I’m more mad I can’t room with you this camp,” she grumbled.

Carli rolled her eyes. “You’ve never been able to since the three of us got together,” she reasoned. “What’s the difference now?”

Kelley shrugged. “It’s your last camp before we start trying for a baby and you won’t be on the roster,” she replied shyly.

The midfielder laughed. “Kel, we live together. I’m surprised you aren’t happy to be away from me for a few weeks,” she said.

The younger woman shook her head furiously. “I’d never be sick of you,” she proclaimed with a grin.

“That was cheesy,” Carli replied teasingly.

Kelley shrugged unapologetically. “Not taking it back,” she said.

* * *

 

After the meeting ended and the team dispersed, Kelley stayed in the conference talking with some of the younger players.

“Uh, Kel,” Emily said. “Did you prank Ashlyn earlier?” she asked.

Kelley looked at the younger defender confusedly, until she saw the keeper walking towards them determinedly. “Shit,” she swore, then began to back away from the advancing keeper.

“Nope,” Ashlyn said as she caught the right back, picking her up. “Come on, you and Carli have some explaining to do,” she said, walking towards the elevators.

“Put me down, Ash,” Kelley demanded. “We don’t have to tell you anything,” she said.

“Well you’re going to,” the keeper replied, stepping into the elevator.

“Are you seriously going to carry me all the way?” Kelley asked.

“Yep,” the short-haired woman answered. “This way you can’t run and hide,” she explained.

“You know, I’m pretty sure we were going to tell the whole team at some point before the second game,” Kelley said. “You could have just waited until then, because now the newbies are going to wonder what’s going on.”

Ashlyn shrugged. “This is what you get for sharing news like this through the groupchat,” she replied.

The defender groaned. “Fine.”

The elevator opened on the team’s floor, and Ashlyn stepped out, walking up to the other players that were gathered.

“Carli, help!” Kelley shouted as she spotted her girlfriend walking out of one of the rooms looking at her phone. “Harris is kidnapping me!”

The midfielder looked up and rolled her eyes. “Seriously?” she questioned, then shook her head. “You know what? I’m not even surprised,” she muttered. “Fine, in here then.” She opened her room door.

At the sound of the door opening, Becky said, “That was fast.” She looked up to see Ashlyn following the midfielder into the room carrying Kelley, and sent her co-captain a confused look.

“Apparently they couldn’t wait to interrogate us,” Carli explained as Tobin, Christen, and some of the others walked into the room.

The center back rolled her eyes. “Really, Ash?” she questioned the keeper. “Put Kelley down,” she ordered.

Ashlyn shrugged, then unceremoniously dumped the defender onto Carli’s bed.

“Rude,” Kelley huffed.

Becky sighed exasperatedly. “God I wish Krieger was here,” she muttered. “What am I going to do without you at camps in the future?” she asked the midfielder, causing the midfielder to laugh. “I’m serious,” she continued.

“I don’t know what to say,” Carli said apologetically.

Becky groaned. “I’ll survive, somehow.”

Carli sighed, moving to sit on her bed next to Kelley. “I thought I said to ignore them for now,” she said to the younger woman.

The right back scoffed. “Ash grabbed me in the conference room, literally,” she replied defensively.

“It’s true,” the keeper agreed easily.

Carli rolled her eyes. “Honestly, what more do you guys even need to know?” she asked. “We told you I won’t be in next month’s camp, that’s all you guys really need to know,” she explained.

Ashlyn scoffed. “You can’t just say ‘hey guys, we’re going to have a baby so Carli’s going to be off the roster next month’ and not expect us to have questions,” she retorted.

“No, but Carli’s right,” Becky said. “They were considerate enough to tell us before camp. They didn’t even have to do that,” she reasoned.

“Thank you, Broon, for being reasonable,” Carli said.

The center back shrugged. “It’s really not that hard to understand,” she replied.

“Okay, but why right now?” Christen asked.

“And why isn’t Kelley having the baby first?” Tobin asked curiously.

“Hope’s still recovering from surgery, and this way Carli can still work back to the team before France,”  the defender answered, Tobin nodded in understanding. “It’s just about the timing is all.”

“You guys had to have seen something like this happening,” Carli added.

“Well, yeah,” Ashlyn said. “We just weren’t expecting you to be the one to have the baby.”

“It makes the most sense, timing wise,” Kelley reasoned with a shrug. “If we want another baby in a few years, Hope could still try. And after the next cycle I could try, too.”

Ashlyn, Christen, and Tobin mulled over that information.

“Sounds like reasonable planning to me,” Becky said.

Ashlyn groaned. “Dammit, now what are we supposed to ask you,” she mumbled.

Carli rolled her eyes. “Nothing, there’s really nothing else to tell you,” she replied.

“We just have to tell the rest of the team,” Kelley added. “Which, thanks Ash, because now Emily, Lindsey, and Sammy know something’s up,” she grumbled.

The keeper shrugged. “They were going to find out anyways.”

* * *

 

They win the first game 4-0, and head to Minneapolis the next morning.

Kelley’s rooming with Alyssa this time, and she’s laying on her bed when the keeper walks in.

“Hey, Kelley,” Alyssa greets.

“Hey,” the defender replies. “I’m waiting on a call from Hope but I’ll go to Carli’s room,” she states.

“No problem,” Alyssa replies. “Tell her I said hi.”

“I will,” Kelley says. “Hey, you weren’t in Carli and Becky’s room the other night when we were talking with Ash, Tobs and Christen?” she said, though it was more of a question.

The keeper shrugged. “It’s not really any of my business and not all that surprising,” she said. “I’m excited for you guys, though,” she stated sincerely.

Kelley smiled. “Thanks, Lyss,” she replied. “I’ll be back later,” she said as she walked to the door.

“Okay,” the keeper said.

Kelley walked down the hall and knocked on her girlfriend’s door.

“Hey, Kel,” Carli greeted as she opened the door.

“Hey, Hope said she was going to call when she was done with whatever physio stuff she was doing,” she said. “Alyssa came back to my room so I figured I’d come here,” she explained.

“That’s fine,” the midfielder replied. “Do you know when Hope was supposed to be done?”

Kelley shrugged. “No, but I think sometime soon,” she answered. “Where’s Broon?”

“She’s out somewhere talking to Zola,” Carli replied. “She had just left though so she probably won’t be back for a while.”

The defender’s phone rang before she could respond. “Hey, Hope,” she said after answering. “I’m with Carli so putting you on speaker,” she added.

“Hey. Yeah that’s fine.” the keeper replied. “What’s up?”

“Not much,” Kelley said. “We got in okay. How’d your physical therapy stuff go?”

“Well I don’t have to use a sling anymore,” Hope replied. “The recovery’s going a lot faster than expected.”

“Okay, but don’t rush anything,” Carli said sternly. “You don’t need to ruin everything by getting too ahead of yourself.”

“I know, I know,” the older woman grumbled. “Geeze, I can take care of myself, you know.”

“I do know that,” the midfielder replied. “I’ll drop it, just don’t do anything dumb,” she said.

“So how’d the conversation with the team go?” Hope asked.

“Well, Ash literally dragged me to Carli’s room to start,” Kelley grumbled.

The keeper laughed. “That sounds like an interesting sight,” she teased. “I’m guessing it didn’t go too badly since you didn’t call back right after,” she guessed.

“No, it went pretty well,” Carli replied. “Becky was the most reasonable, which wasn’t surprising. Alyssa wasn’t there, but I’m sure she’d be reasonable about it, too.”

“Oh, yeah, Lyss says hi, babe,” Kelley interjected. “Also, if we make any teammates a godmother, it should definitely be her or Broon, maybe both,” she suggested.

“We could do that,” Hope agreed.

“That might actually start a war within the team,” Carli pointed out.

“Yeah but at least we wouldn’t have to deal with the arguments if we had it already decided,” Kelley argued.

“Fair enough,” the midfielder relented.

“When’s the first appointment to get everything started?” Hope asked.

“Like right after we get back from this camp,” Carli answered.

“Okay,” Hope said. “I should go, actually. I need to figure out what I’m doing for dinner,” she mumbled.

Carli laughed. “You sure you can take care of yourself?” she teased.

“Yes,” the keeper replied. “I just don’t want to do anything right now,” she explained.

“Alright, you go do that, we’re going to go talk to the team,” Carli said.

“Okay, sounds good,” Hope said. “Go kickass for me and when you guys get back we’ll begin working on starting our family.”

“Carli’s going to be the one kicking ass,” Kelley replied. “But okay. Love you, Hope.”

“Love you, babe,” the midfielder echoed.

“I love you guys, I’ll see you in a few days,” Hope said, then ended the call.

* * *

 

“What’s up guys?” Sam asked as the team gathered in the conference room they were using.

“Does this have anything to do with Ash grabbing Kelley the other night?” Emily asked.

“Yeah,” the right back replied. “I’m still mad at you about that, Harris,” she grumbled.

Carli nudged the younger woman. “Stop, it’s fine,” she said. “They were going to find out anyways,” she reasoned.

“Find out what?” Lindsey asked.

“So, the players from the World Cup all know about this,” Kelley prefaced. “But, Carli’s not going to be on the November roster, and possibly any future rosters for the next year or so,” she stated.

“What?” “Why?” the players who didn’t know questioned in confusion.

“We’re going to start trying to have a baby,” Carli answered.

The younger players looked at the couple in shock.

“No way,” Emily mumbled.

Kelley nodded. “Yep. Since we’re between cycles, we figured now’s a good time to do it,” she answered.

“That’s awesome!” Crystal exclaimed after a moment. “A new national team baby!” she stated excitedly.

“At least somebody’s excited,” Kelley said sarcastically, looking over to Ashlyn.

“I never said I wasn’t excited for you guys,” the keeper argued.

“You were just confused as to why Carli was having the baby first,” Moe pointed out.

“I wasn’t the only one!” Ashlyn whined.

“You just made the biggest deal out of it,” Alyssa said.

“Anyways, that’s all we needed to say,” Carli said, trying to prevent a major argument. “We just wanted to let you guys know what was happening before the next camp.”

“If you guys could not say anything though, that would be appreciated,” Kelley added. “We’ll publicly announce it eventually, but for now we just want the people who matter to know.”

“Oh, Stef’s going to be so mad we knew before her,” Sam said to Lindsey, laughing.

Carli rolled her eyes. “Don’t tell her until we give the approval,” she warned.

“Okay, captain,” the younger player replied.

“Let’s just never tell her,” Kelley suggested. “You know once she finds out she’s not going to leave you alone on social media.”

Carli groaned in realization. “Yeah, we’re just not going to tell her,” she agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a review if you'd like! I like hearing your guys' thoughts, so if there's something you don't like all that much, please let me know! Or if there's something you want to see more of, let me know of that too.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo we're finally moving along in the story! Lol. The ending to this is so crappy but I just wanted to get it out since its been a few days since the last update.
> 
> Listen I don't know what I got myself into turning this into an actual story but I'm not giving up and quitting it even though I have no idea what I'm doing.
> 
> Disclaimer: I'm going to be 100% honest and say I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to medical stuff and anything written in this chapter and any future chapters is from really crappy research and me totally making shit up haha.
> 
> Also, I totally realized I could have written Carli as being in the camp for the Romania games, but because she's missing it in real life for her wedding I'm still running with she's missing camp.
> 
> Okay, I think that's it so, sorry for the long note and now onto the story lmao.

When Hope greets them at the airport the day they return the first thing out of Kelley’s mouth was, “What does two goals and an assist get us?”

The keeper nearly choked on the coffee she was taking a sip of. “For fuck sakes, Kel,” she replied through a cough.

Kelley smirked. “I’m kidding, babe,” she teased. “Kind of.”

“Ignore her, please,” Carli said, coming up to hug the older woman. “She’s been like this since the game,” she explained, causing the defender to pout.

Hope rolled her eyes. “Of course she was,” she muttered. “I will admit, that goal was pretty badass,” she conceded.

“Just not as badass as your midfield goal in the World Cup final,” Kelley interjected. “I don’t think any goal could be as awesome as that.”

Carli shrugged. “Your first international goal was pretty awesome,” she countered.

“Well, yeah, I had you for the assist, had to make you look good, you know,” the younger woman teased.

“You’re such a suck up,” Hope mumbled.

“That hurts,” Kelley replied, bringing her hands to her chest in a mock hurt expression.

The keeper laughed, wrapping an arm around the shorter woman. “Come on,” she said, leading the way to the baggage claim. “Let’s get your stuff and go home.” She held her other hand out for the midfielder, who gladly accepted it.

* * *

 

Later that night that the three sat in the living room eating dinner and discussing the upcoming appointment.

“So, I was thinking,” Kelley began.

Hope quirked an eyebrow. “That’s rarely ever a good thing,” she teased. At the younger woman’s offended look she laughed and said, “I’m kidding. What’s up?”

“Okay, so you know how we’re using an anonymous sperm donor?”

Carli and Hope both nodded.

“You know how we talked about if we wanted the baby to look like either Hope or myself?” she continued, and received two nods. “What if, instead of looking for someone with traits belonging to one of us alone, we pick like one or two traits from both Hope and I to look for in a donor?” she finished.

The two older women sat in thought for a moment.

“That’s, that’s actually a really good idea,” Hope said.

“Are you saying I never have one?” the defender questioned.

The keeper shook her head. “No, you do, but usually you’re ideas involve pranking somebody,” she retorted.

Kelley thought for a moment then shrugged. “Fair enough.”

“Okay, so, what traits would we pick then?” Carli interjected. “If we did it like you suggested, what traits from the two of you would we want?”

“I think we can all agree brown/brunette hair is a given,” the defender replied.

“Uh, did you forget I’m naturally a blonde?” Hope asked incredulously.

Carli snorted. “I think we all agree you dyeing your hair was one of the best decisions you’ve ever made,” she retorted.

“Maybe I’ll dye it back,” the keeper joked.

“I swear if you do that, Hope Solo, you will never get laid again,” the midfielder warned.

Hope laughed. “Don’t worry, I won’t,” she promised.

“Good,” Carli said with finality.

Kelley watched the two with amusement. “So we’ve established Hope can never be a blonde again, but is that something we want to have in a kid?”

“Nah, brown/brunette hair color is okay,” Hope replied. “Eye color?” she asked.

“Blue,” both of the other two answered immediately.

The keeper raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

Carli shrugged. “There’s a chance they could have brown like mine, blue would be nice, too,” she reasoned.

Kelley nodded. “A kid with blues like yours would be adorable,” she said.

“Okay, but what traits of yours would we want?” Hope asked.

“Preferably not my height,” the defender mumbled.

The midfielder smirked. “They could be short like Kling,” she pointed out.

“Fair enough,” Kelley said.

“Seriously though,” Hope said. “That’s two traits that I have, but none for you,” she said, poking Kelley’s arm.

The defender shrugged. “I mean, really, a baby that looks mostly like Carli and you would be okay with me,” she stated.

The two older women looked at her.

“Would you really be okay with that?” Carli asked seriously.

The defender nodded. “Yeah,” she replied confidently. “A baby that looked like the two of you would be awesome. They’re going to be the cutest kid ever,” she stated emphatically. “Besides, what could be better than having a mini version of the two of you?”

“You’re so fucking cheesy,” Hope laughed.

Kelley grinned. “But you love it,” she said, laying on top of the keeper.

Hope smiled, kissing the younger woman’s temple. “Yeah, I do.”

“Now who’s the suck up?” Carli teased, leaning in to kiss Hope.

“Still Kelley,” the keeper joked.

“Fuck you,” Kelley replied, no heat in her voice.

“You already do,” Hope rebutted with a smirk.

“Dammit,” the defender cursed. “That was good,” she said.

Carli rolled her eyes. “At this point we’re going to have three kids in the house,” she mumbled, earning a laugh from Hope and a pout from Kelley.

* * *

 

“So, this appointment is just to figure out the basics of how you’re going to get pregnant?” Kelley asked the morning of the appointment a few days later.

Carli nodded. “Yeah, it sounds like it’s discussing what process we want to use and tracking when the best time to do it is,” she explained.

The defender sat down at the table with her cereal. “But the actual process happens later?” she clarified.

The midfielder raised an eyebrow at her girlfriend’s choice of breakfast. “Yeah, it probably won’t happen for a while yet,” she said. “How do you eat that stuff?” she asked incredulously. “It’s all sugar.”

Kelley looked up, offended. “Not all of us want to eat boring, healthy food,” she argued.

“I’m pretty sure that is not Dawn-approved food, Kel,” Hope said as she entered the kitchen, hair wet from a shower.

The defender pouted. “You’re on her side?” she whined, pointing her spoon at Carli.

Hope poured a cup of coffee. “I’m not stopping you from eating it, am I?” she countered.

“Look, all I’m saying is that it’s not exactly the best food to be eating,” the midfielder said.

“Just let her eat,” Hope said. “It’s not like she has it during the season or camps,” she argued.

“Yeah, come on, Carli,” Kelley pleaded.

The midfielder rolled her eyes. “Fine,” she relented. “I won’t say anything from now on,” she agreed.

The defender smiled, going back to her breakfast.

The midfielder shook her head in exasperation. “Why are we trying to have a baby when we’re practically raising Kel?” she asked teasingly.

“Hey, I can take care of myself just fine,” the younger retorted. “I do it in Jersey every year,” she argued.

“How often do you end up calling Christie for help with something?” Carli countered.

Kelley looked at her in mock hurt. “I’ll have you know it’s not that often,” she replied.

“That’s actually true,” Hope said.

“I still can’t believe you guys actually ask her to spy on me,” the younger woman whined.

Carli and Hope both shrug.

“Technically we’ve never asked her,” the keeper admitted.

“She just gives us updates when we play each other,” the midfielder added.

“Oh,” Kelley said. “Wait, you guys never asked?” she asked.

“Nope, she just lets us know how you’re doing whenever we play each other,” Hope repeated. “We never asked, she just did it. To be honest I think it was more for letting us you were okay with the separation than it was actually keeping an on you,” she added with a shrug.

“Kel, we know you can take care of yourself, it’s just nice knowing Cap’s there if you need her,” Carli stated. “Now come on,” she said, looking at her phone. “We need to get ready if want to be on time,” she finished, getting up to put her dishes in the sink, Kelley happily doing the same.

* * *

 

“You ready?” Hope asked quietly as they sat in the waiting room.

Carli shrugged. “Yeah,” she said with a slightly nervous tone.

Kelley looked at her oddly. “You okay?” she asked concernedly.

The midfielder sighed. “What if something’s wrong and I can’t get pregnant?” she asked quietly, a hint of fear in her voice.

Hope moved to kneel in front of her. “Listen to me,” she commanded softly. “You’re healthy and fit, nothing should be wrong,” she stated. “If there is, we’ll deal with it together, the three of us, okay?” she asked, and received a nod. “And if, at some point down the road, it turns out you can’t get pregnant, we’ll just change the plan.”

“You guys will still want to be with me, right?” Carli asked quietly.

“Of course,” the keeper replied immediately.

“Carli,” Kelley interjected, wrapping an arm around the older woman. “Nothing is going to change how we feel about you,” she promised. “We might not be married, but I’m in this for the rest of my life, no matter what,” she vowed.

The midfielder let out a breath of relief. “I don’t know where that came from,” she mumbled.

“Have you been thinking like that for a while?” Kelley asked softly.

Carli nodded reluctantly. “Since we decided to try this,” she admitted.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Hope soothed. “But if you feel like that again, you need to tell us,” she scolded softly. “We’ll be there to remind you we’re never leaving every time,” she assured.

“Yeah, you’re sort of stuck with us,” the defender joked, earning a laugh from the midfielder.

“Look, there’s no guarantee it’ll work the first time,” Hope reminded. “But that’s okay, we’ll just try again.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Carli replied. “I’m sorry,” she added softly.

“No, hey, you don’t have to apologize,” Kelley stated. “But if you have any doubts about this, tell us.”

The midfielder shook her head. “No, I want to do this if you guys do,” she stated.

Hope smiled. “I think we’re all in agreement then,” she replied. “But, if you ever feel like that again, please tell us,” she pleaded. “We’re here to remind you that no matter what, we’re not going anywhere. Like Kelley said, you’re stuck with us.”

Carli nodded. “I know. I’ll talk to you guys next time,” she promised.

“Good,” the keeper said softly.

An assistant appeared in the doorway. “Carli?” she called.

The trio stood up.

“Ready?” Kelley asked.

The midfielder nodded. “Ready.”

* * *

 

“Hi, I’m Dr. Jean Stone,” a blonde woman greeted as she entered the office the trio had been led to.

“Carli,” the midfielder replied as she shook the doctor’s outstretched hand. She turned to look hesitantly at Hope and Kelley, not knowing how to introduce the two.

“Hope,” the keeper took over quickly, also shaking the doctor’s hand. “And that’s Kelley,” she added, motioning to the younger woman. “We’re Carli’s partners,” she stated confidently.

Dr. Stone nodded. “So, you guys are wanting to have a baby?”

Carli nodded. “Yeah, we’re at a point where the timing is right,” she answered vaguely.

The doctor smiled. “In between tournament cycles, right?” she asked, laughing at the looks on the trio’s faces. “My wife’s a pretty big fan,” she said.

Hope chuckled. “We tend to get recognized right off the bat, so it was a little weird not having that with you,” she admitted.

Dr. Stone nodded. “In here you guys are regular clients like anyone else,” she stated. “I have a pretty strict doctor-patient confidentiality clause, so unless you guys give explicit permission or say something yourself, no one will know what happens in this office,” she explained.

“We appreciate that,” Carli replied gratefully.

The doctor smiled. “So, let’s discuss having a baby, yes?” she questioned, beginning a new file on her computer. “So first, who is going to be the one carrying the baby?”

“I am,” the midfielder answered.

“Okay, let’s start with a background medical history. Any cases of serious illness or infertility?” she questioned.

“No,” Carli answered, shaking her head.

“Okay,” the doctor marked it down in the file. “When was your last menstrual cycle?” she continued.

“Uh, two weeks ago,” the midfielder replied.

Dr. Stone nodded, making another note. “Okay. We’re going to do a routine physical and some blood tests as protocol,” she explained. “We can take the blood sample here, but the rest we’ll have to move to a different room for. It shouldn’t take long, you two can come along if you’d like?” she asked, looking between Hope and Kelley.

“Carli?” the keeper questioned.

“You said it won’t take long?” she asked.

“Fifteen minutes tops,” the blonde doctor answered.

The midfielder shrugged. “You might as well just wait here,” she said. “It’s not like it’s anything serious,” she reasoned.

Hope nodded. “Then we’ll wait here,” she answered.

“Alright, sounds good,” Dr. Stone said.

She paged for an assistant, who came in and quickly took a blood sample then left to take it the lab.

“We’ll be back soon,” she said, leading the midfielder out of the office.

After they left, Kelley asked quietly, “You don’t think Carli’s having second thoughts about this, do you?”

Hope looked at the defender confusedly. “Is this about earlier?” she questioned.

Kelley nodded. “Yeah. Carli’s not usually insecure like that,” she replied.

The older woman sighed. “I think this is just a really new situation for her,” she stated. “I don’t think Carli’s ever thought about having kids until recently.”

“Do you think we rushed into this?” Kelley questioned hesitantly.

“I don’t know,” Hope replied honestly. “I’ve known I wanted kids for a while-”

“I have, too,” Kelley interjected.

“-but I don’t know how much Carli’s thought about it up until the last couple of months,” Hope finished. “Later tonight we’ll talk about it with her, okay? To make sure she really wants this for herself and she’s not just doing this because we want it.”

The defender nodded. “Yeah, okay,” she agreed.

Before they could say anything else, Carli and Dr. Stone returned.

“So, it looks like everything is normal. Do you guys know how you want to have a baby?” the doctor asked as she sat at her desk.

“What exactly are our options?” Hope questioned. “There’s multiple different processes, right?”

Dr. Stone nodded. “Yes. Because Carli’s fit and healthy and there’s no indication of fertility issues, it would probably be best to try the artificial insemination route,” she answered. “In simplest terms, we insert the sperm right into the cervix or uterus,” she explained.

“And that’s different than IVF?” Kelley asked.

“Yes,” the doctor answered. “Using IVF we’d take some of Carli’s eggs and the sperm and create an embryo in a lab, and then insert the embryo into the uterus,” she explained.

“Having a baby is so weird,” the defender mumbled quietly, rubbing her neck sheepishly when the doctor laughed.

“So the easier way would to use the artificial insemination?” Carli clarified.

“In my opinion, yes,” Dr. Stone confirmed. “Either way is not guaranteed to work the first time, but because you’re healthy and there’s no apparent fertility problems, I think it would be the best option for you.”

“Okay, so what’s the next step?” Hope asked.

“Well, we’ll spend the next couple of months tracking ovulation to figure out when the best time to do the insemination is,” the doctor answered.

“This is so weird,” Kelley mumbled.

Hope rolled her eyes. “Kel, stop,” she scolded.

Dr. Stone laughed. “No, it’s okay,” she assured. “This is one of the more positive reactions I’ve gotten to explaining the different procedures,” she explained. “Honestly, it’s nice to see you two are as interested as you are,” she admitted, motioning to the keeper and defender.

“Okay, so how do we track ovulation?” Carli asked.

“Well, the easiest way would be to use an ovulation monitor, which is easily affordable,” Dr. Stone answered. “But, it can be calculated starting with the first day of your last menstrual period, or by calculating 12-16 days before your next period,” she explained. “There’s no way to exactly pinpoint your ovulation period, but we can get a rough estimate by tracking it for the next couple of months. For now, let’s schedule another appointment for three months from now, and we’ll see how everything is,” she stated.

“Let’s say, hypothetically, Carli does get pregnant the first time,” Hope started. “Would we be able to find a different doctor for the pregnancy somewhere else?” she asked.

“Well, the chances of getting pregnant the first time is pretty low, but, if it did happen, yes, you would be able to find a doctor somewhere else,” Dr. Stone answered.

“Okay, good,” Carli replied. “We were planning on moving to New Jersey if it happened,” she explained.

“Ah, okay, that makes sense,” the doctor responded. “Yes, generally, after getting pregnant, clients look for a different doctor for care during the pregnancy,” she explained.

The three nodded.

“Alright, so I think that’s all we need to do for this appointment,” Dr. Stone said, standing. “We can get another appointment scheduled at the front desk. The most important thing to do in between is track ovulation and try to keep a regular routine. If you work out a lot, keep doing so. Just stopping even the lightest of workouts can affect ovulation,” she stated.

“Pfft, you couldn’t get Carli to stop working out even if her life depended on it,” Kelley joked.

“Alright, well, just keep that in mind, and I’ll see you three in a few months,” Dr. Stone replied.

The trio thanked her, then left the office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ending sucked I know. I have no idea when the next chapter will be, but hopefully it won't be too long.
> 
> Leave a review if you'd like! Any and all feedback is appreciated! (As long as it isn't rude, those I'll just ignore tbh).


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter totally sucks and is short, but I wanted to get something out this weekend. There's definitely going to be a time jump in the next chapter, so yay we're actually going to get the real plot started finally, lol.
> 
> I have no idea how this final Romania game is going to turn out, so I left it ending at the San Jose game.

When they got back to the house after the appointment, Hope gently guided Carli onto the couch in the living, Kelley sitting on the other side of the midfielder.

“Okay, Car, we need you to be completely honest with us,” the keeper stated softly. “Are you one hundred percent sure this is something that  _ you _ want?” she asked.

“And not something you want because _ we _ want it,” Kelley added, pointing between herself and Hope.

Carli sighed. “I never really thought about it until recently,” she admitted reluctantly. “I knew you guys wanted kids, but I’ve never actually thought about it until the last couple of months.”

“Carli, if you feel like we’re pressuring you into this, tell us,” Hope said. “Kelley and I, we can wait until you’re one hundred percent positive this is something that you want,” she assured.

“We’re not going to be mad or disappointed if you want to wait,” the defender said before Carli could reply. 

The midfielder shook her head. “I want this,” she replied. “I want kids with you guys. I just, I never thought about it until recently, but now that I have, I really want to do this,” she stated.

Hope nodded. “Okay, we just wanted to be sure,” she said. 

“And no matter what happens, we’re not leaving,” Kelley promised. “It’s too late, you’re stuck with us.”

Carli smiled. “Well if that’s the case, I’m glad it’s the two of you,” she teased.

“Ouch, Car, that hurts,” Hope said in mock offense.

“Yeah, come on, it’s not my fault Hope’s annoying,” the defender joked, earning a shove from the keeper.

“You asshole,” Hope said with no heat.

Kelley grinned. “No, I’m kidding,” she replied. “But seriously. We’re not going anywhere.”

Carli nodded. “I know,” she said. “I promise, I know.”

Hope pulled the midfielder into a hug, placing a kiss to her temple. “You couldn’t get rid of us even if you tried.”

“If Hope’s moodiness didn’t scare you off, I don’t what will,” Kelley interjected.

The keeper glared at the younger woman while Carli laughed.

“You might want to run, Kel,” she said. 

“Why? Hope can’t do anything,” the defender retorted, unfazed. 

“Careful, Kelley,” Hope warned, though the amusement in her eyes gave her away.

“I’m just saying, you’re still recovering, it’s not like you can do much,” Kelley teased.

The keeper moved to stand over the younger woman. “You want to bet?”

The defender quickly ducked under the older woman and ran up the stairs laughing. 

Hope rolled her eyes, smiling. “You sure you want to do this?” she asked the midfielder.

Carli nodded. “There’s no one else I’d rather do this with,” she confirmed assuredly.

“That was so cheesy!” they heard Kelley yell, causing them to burst into laughter.

* * *

 

An hour after the San Jose game, Kelley’s phone vibrated with a text.

**Hope:** _ You alone for a bit? _

**Kelley:** _ Should be, why? _

Instead of a reply, the defender’s phone rang.

“Hey, what’s up?” she asked, answering.

“Not much, just wanted to talk. You played great tonight,” Hope replied.

“Not really. I didn’t do much,” the younger woman mumbled.

“Kel, you still played fine. Don’t worry about it,” the keeper said.

“Is it enough to get a lot of sex when I get back?” Kelley asked.

“Oh my god, Kel, I didn’t need to hear that,” Tobin complained as she walked into the room.

“Hey, you were the one that wasn’t supposed to be back tonight,” the defender retorted. “Thought I heard something about celebrating Press’s hat trick,” she teased, causing the midfielder to blush.

“Are you talking to Hope?” Tobin asked, changing the subject.

“Yeah, want to say hi?” Kelley asked, earning a nod. “Hey, babe, Tobs is here so I’m putting you on speaker real quick.” 

“Okay,” the older woman replied.

“Sup, Solo?” Tobin said, laying next to Kelley on her bed.

“Hey, Tobin,” Hope replied. “How’s camp going?”

“Eh, it’s good, but weird not having you and Carli here,” the midfielder answered.

“Well, looks like you guys are doing fine without us,” the other woman said. “That was a pretty sweet goal you scored tonight.”

“Where is Carli anyway?” Kelley asked.

“She’s out for run with the dogs.”

“Of course she is,” Kelley and Tobin said simultaneously.

Hope laughed. “Yeah, it’ll be interesting to see what she’s like when she can no longer work out,” she said.

Kelley groaned. “Tobin, can I come live you with when that happens?” she jokingly asked.

“Hey, you’re one of the ones that wanted a kid, so you just have to suck it up,” the midfielder answered.

“Fuck you.”

“There are three people that probably wouldn’t like that,” Tobin deadpanned.

Hope burst out laughing. “Didn’t know you had that in you, Heath,” she joked. “But seriously, Kel, it’ll be fine.”

“I know,” Kelley said. 

“So are you guys doing it soon or are you waiting a bit longer?” Tobin asked curiously.

“We’re hoping that by February or March we can start trying,” Hope answered.

“Oh, cool,” the midfielder said. “That’s a lot sooner than I thought.”

“We’re doing it the more simpler way,” the keeper explained.

“Tobs, trying to have a baby is so weird,” Kelley interjected. 

Tobin laughed. “I bet it is,” she said. 

They heard some noise in the background on Hope’s end of the line. 

“Sounds like Carli’s back,” the keeper said.

“Alright, well, I should probably get back to Chris’s room,” Tobin stated, standing up.

“Someone’s getting laid tonight,” Kelley teased.

The taller woman rolled her eyes. “Shut up,” she replied weakly.

“But you didn’t deny it,” the defender quipped.

“Kel, stop. If they tease you about your sex life you don’t get to complain,” Hope interjected.

Kelley pouted while Tobin sighed in relief. “Thanks, Hope,” she said.

“If she gets out of hand, just hit her,” the keeper said.

“What? No, that’s not fair!” the defender whined.

“What’s not fair?” Carli asked in the background. 

“I told Tobin that if Kelley’s teasing gets out of hand, Tobin can hit her,” Hope explained.

“Oh. I thought that was an unspoken rule?” Carli replied.

“You guys sucks,” Kelley mumbled.

“You still love us,” Hope argued. 

“I don’t know why,” the defender retorted.

“I can think of a few reasons,” Carli said.

“Eww, no, I’m leaving before I hear things I don’t want to hear,” Tobin interjected, walking towards the door. “Bye guys,” she said before walking out.

“I should probably go, too. We’ve got recovery early tomorrow morning,” Kelley said reluctantly.

“One game down, one more to go,” Hope replied.

“And then we’ve got a whole month together,” Carli added.

“I know, I can’t wait,” Kelley exclaimed. “I just want to be lazy for a few weeks.”

“Don’t let Dawn hear you say that,” Hope warned. “Or she’ll make sure you spend you’re whole break working out.”

The defender groaned. “No, I don’t want to do that,” she said. “Especially because that would mean going on runs with Carli.”

“What? You can’t handle that?” the midfielder asked amusedly.

“Car, you run like five miles twice a day,” Kelley retorted.

“That’s not true,” Carli replied. “It’s like three miles.”

Hope laughed. “As long as you’re not too lazy you’ll be fine, Kel,” she placated.

“Fine,” the younger woman said. “I should go, though. I don’t remember who Christen’s roommate is but if it’s one of the newbies I don’t want to traumatize them too much,” she joked.

The older women laughed. “Alright, Kel, we’ll let you go,” Hope said.

“Call us when you’re done with recovery tomorrow,” Carli said. 

“Or whenever you have free time,” the keeper added.

“Okay, I will,” Kelley promised. “I love you guys,” she stated.

“Love you, too,” Hope and Carli echoed, then the keeper ended the call.

The door to the room slowly opened. “Is it safe to come in?” Kealia asked.

Kelley laughed. “Yeah, I just got off the phone with them,” she answered.

The young forward sighed in relief, stepping into the room. “Awesome, because as much as I love Carli, there are some things I don’t need to hear about you three.”

Kelley laughed. “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t do that to you,” she promised before beginning to get ready for bed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty sure this chapter sucks, lol. It was more a filler than actual plot but (hopefully) future chapters will be better. 
> 
> Oh, I also really hope no one is expecting smut to come out of this, because I can't write smut for shit so that's not happening, just so you all know. I know I've made a few references to sex and some jokes about it, but I don't plan on actually writing any of it out. That's just a note I'd like to make known.
> 
> Leave a review if you'd like! I like hearing what you do and don't like, and if you have any ideas, I'm open to suggestions!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meant to update yesterday, but I ended up adding a new one-shot to 'Hurt' instead, so you can check that out if you want. This is a long chapter and lots of different things happen.
> 
> We're moving right along with the story, yay! lol
> 
> I'm not a medical professional so I'm totaling bsing a lot of this.

“So KO, you ready for you three to start having baby?” Ashlyn asked the night after the second Romania game while the team was out celebrating.

Kelley smiled, nodding excitedly. “Yeah, except it’s not happening for a few months still,” she answered. “We have another appointment in January, and they have to run a few more tests, but if everything looks good, the process can start in February or March,” she explained.

“I’m assuming you guys are using an anonymous donor?” Ali asked.

“Yeah. Guys, having a baby is so weird,” the younger defender answered, causing the players that were at the table to laugh. “I’m serious!” Kelley pouted.

“Well what did you expect?” Becky questioned.

“I don’t know, but it’s weird,” Kelley mumbled, taking a sip of her beer.

“Well, yeah, I would assume so, you know, because even those there’s three of you, none of you have the other part needed to make a baby during sex,” Ashlyn replied.

Kelley sputtered, choking on her drink.

“Ashlyn!” Ali cried, hitting the keeper.

“What? It’s true!” the short-haired woman defended,

“And totally not appropriate,” the right back hissed. Turning to a coughing Kelley, she asked concernedly, “Are you okay?”

The younger woman nodded, coughing. “I’m fine,” she replied. Clearing her throat, she added, “I’m fine. Just wasn’t expecting that.”

Ashlyn shrugged. “It’s true.”

“Yes, I know,” Kelley replied. “But I don’t exactly need you putting my sex life on blast.”

“Come on, you tease everyone else,” the keeper replied.

“Not in public!” Kelley fired back, quickly becoming agitated.

“She’s got a point,” Becky interjected. “Now drop it before it turns into an actual argument,” she ordered, and the two complied, though the right back looked ready to say something else. “I would like to be able to say I returned KO in mostly one piece,” she explained.

“Hope and Carli wouldn’t come after you,” Kelley replied, calming down. “Well, they probably wouldn’t. Like, twenty percent chance that they would,” she joked.

The captain rolled her eyes, though her smile gave away her amusement. “Well, I’d rather not test it,” she stated.

* * *

 

Hope and Carli greet her at the airport the next day.

“You need to tell Broon I returned in one piece,” Kelley said as she hugged the keeper.

“Why wouldn’t you have returned in one piece?” Carli asked as she hugged the younger woman, looking at her in confusion. “And why do we have to tell Becky?”

“Because Ashlyn and I almost got into an argument after the game last night and Becky said she didn’t want to deal with you guys if I wasn’t okay when I got back,” Kelley answered, pulling back.

“What did you guys almost get into an argument about?” Hope asked.

Kelley blushed, looking away from the two. “Something I don’t want to talk about in public,” she mumbled.

Hope laughed, wrapping an arm around the defender’s shoulders. “You can tell us later then,” she said.

Kelley sighed. “Fine,” she replied reluctantly. “But just remember Ashlyn said it,” she added.

The two older women looked at her oddly as they walked out to Hope’s car.

“Are you afraid we’ll get angry?” the midfielder questioned.

The defender shrugged. “I don’t know how you’ll react,” she answered. “You’ll either find it funny or really offensive.”

Hope frowned. “Is it really that bad?” she questioned.

“Well, that wasn’t really what made me mad,” Kelley admitted. “I’ll explain it later if you really want me to,” she promised as they entered the parking lot.

“Alright,” Carli replied. “Let’s get home first though, I’m sure you want to sleep for a bit.”

“Please, yes,” Kelley groaned, causing her girlfriends to laugh. “Hey, I had an early flight and we were out late last night,” she defended.

“And whose fault is that?” Hope retorted.

The defender pouted. “Shut up,” she mumbled. “You suck.”

Hope smiled. “Come on, let’s go home,” she said. “We finally have a decent amount of time together without camps or club teams to worry about.”

* * *

 

Later on, after returning from the airport, the three were laying in bed, Kelley asleep on top of Hope.

“Any idea what she and Ashlyn could have been arguing about?” Carli asked quietly.

“No,” the keeper replied. “Knowing them it could have been anything,” she reasoned.

“Yeah, but it sounded like it might have been serious if Becky was concerned,” the midfielder argued.

“I can hear you guys,” the defender mumbled sleepily.

“Sorry,” the two replied.

“Do you want to tell us what you were arguing about?” Hope asked softly.

“No,” Kelley replied. “But if you really want to know I will.”

“I think we just want to know what was so bad you almost fought Ash about it,” Carli explained.

Kelley sighed, nuzzling further into Hope’s side. “It was stupid,” she mumbled. “Ashlyn was asking if I was excited about us trying to have baby, and I said yeah, of course,” she started. “And Kriegs asked if we were using an anonymous donor, and I said yeah and that having a baby is so weird.”

“Are you going to say that anytime you talk about having a baby?” Carli asked.

“Yes, because it is,” Kelley replied, sitting up. “But it’s so cool at the same time.”

Hope laughed. “Nerd,” she teased.

“Whatever,” the defender muttered. “Anyways, so Ashlyn said that yeah, it’s weird having a baby when there’s ‘three of you and you’re still missing the other part needed to make a baby during sex’.”

The two stared at her in shock, before trying to contain laughter.

“Oh god, Ashlyn would say that,” Hope said.

“Okay, but what about that made you upset?” Carli questioned.

Kelley sighed. “It wasn’t that, but the fact that she said in public,” she admitted. “And, I know I tease the others about their sex lives, but I don’t do it where random strangers can hear,” she added sharply.

“Kel, why was it a problem that Ashlyn said that in public?” the keeper asked, frowning.

“I know that we’ve never confirmed or denied that the three of us are together, but just about everyone knows,” the defender explained. “And I have comments on social media that are a lot worse than what Ash and Ali get when it comes to who I love. I’m _not ashamed_ of loving you both,” she stressed, “and I never will be. But that doesn’t mean seeing what people think of our relationship hurts,” she finished.

The two older women looked at her in stunned silence.

“I’m sorry,” Kelley whispered, tears forming. “I’m sorry. I will never be ashamed of loving you guys, it just hurts to see that some people don’t like that I love you both.”

“Hey, no, no, you don’t need to be sorry,” Hope soothed, pulling the younger woman into her chest.

“Kelley, why didn’t you tell us sooner?” Carli asked gently, moving to sit close to the the other two.

“Because I love you both,” the younger woman replied, wiping away tears. “And most of the time it doesn’t bother me. But when Ash said that, I just freaked out because what if someone heard and they didn’t like that I love you guys,” she explained.

Hope nodded. “Okay, Kel, it’s okay,” she promised.

“We’re not mad,” Carli added. “We know you love us, and you know that we love you.”

“Kelley, we will never be mad at you for something like this,” Hope added, sitting the two of them up. “Carli and I get those same comments, too. And it does hurt, you’re right,” she said quietly, shifting to look at the younger woman. “But maybe the two of us are better at not letting it hurt us.”

“It’s because you guys are emotionless,” Kelley joked.

The keeper laughed. “If that was true, would I say that I love you?” she asked quietly.

“No,” the defender replied. “You’re slightly emotionless,” she amended, trying to contain a smile.

Her girlfriends both rolled their eyes.

“Sure, Kel,” Carli replied, though her smile gave away her amusement. “But seriously, we know how much those comments hurt, but we thought you were handling it,” she explained.

“I just didn’t want you to think I was ashamed of you guys,” Kelley whispered.

Hope shook her head. “We would never think that,” she assured. “But you need to tell us these kind of things so we let the others know what’s off limits,” she stated.

“So you don’t almost get into fights with the team like you did with Ash,” the midfielder added.

Kelley nodded. “I know, I’m sorry I didn’t,” she replied.

“It’s okay, just tell us the next time it gets to be too much,” Hope responded.

They sat in silence for a minute, until Kelley laughed suddenly.

“What?” the other two asked confusedly.

The defender shook her head. “Nothing, just that both Carli and I have things that we have to talk about sometimes, but Hope apparently doesn’t,” she answered. “You know, for someone who’s so emotionally closed off,” she said with a teasing tone, poking the keeper.

“That’s probably because you guys figure out whatever I’m upset about so fast,” Hope replied.

“But you’ve also been working on letting us know as soon as something comes up,” the midfielder added.

“You know, if we didn’t have anything to discuss, we’d be so boring,” Kelley mused, earning laughs from the older two women.

* * *

 

_2 Months Later - January 2017_

Hope and Carli (Kelley was away at camp) were waiting in Dr. Stone’s office for the second appointment.  

The door opened as Dr. Stone walked in. “Sorry for the wait,” she said, setting her computer on her desk. “I was just finishing up some notes from a different case,” she explained. “Let’s get started then, shall we?” she asked. She opened the computer, starting up a file. “So, from the information I have, it looks like we can do the insemination somewhere between the tenth and twentieth of next month,” she stated.

“So we could schedule the procedure today?” Carli questioned.

Dr. Stone nodded. “Yep, my suggestion would be either the thirteenth or fourteenth,” she answered. “I don’t have many appointments booked those days and it’s right in the middle of the ovulation cycle,” she explained.

Hope laughed quietly. “Kelley’s going to be mad she’s missing it, that’s right in the middle of the tournament,” she said.

The midfielder shook her head. “She’s already upset enough about missing this one,” she replied.

Dr. Stone smiled. “Well, even if she does, there’s still plenty of other important appointments she’d be here for,” she said.

“If it works,” Carli pointed out.

“Fair enough,” the doctor conceded. “But it’s still true even if it takes a few tries.”

“So do we have to do anything else this time or are we just going over everything?” Hope asked curiously.

“Well, I would like to run a few tests again just to be sure everything is good,” Dr. Stone answered. “But otherwise this appointment was just a checkup to see where you’re at and to schedule when to do the insemination,” she explained.

The two nodded.

Dr. Stone paged an assistant, who quickly took a blood sample then left.

“I don’t expect to see anything different than last time, but it’s just a precaution,” the doctor said.

“So we can schedule the procedure?” Hope questioned.

“Yes,” Dr. Stone answered. “You’re going to hear this multiple times throughout the process, and I’m sure you’ve heard it already,” she began. “But there’s no guarantee it’ll work the first time,” she warned. “But, that does not mean anything’s wrong,” she assured.

The two nodded in understanding.

A notification sounded from the computer.

“Alright, everything looks good with your blood work,” she said to Carli. “We can go ahead and schedule the next appointment, then I think we’re done here today,” she added.

* * *

Later that night, Hope’s phone rang.

“Hey, Kel,” the keeper greeted.

“Hey, babe,” the defender replied. “How’d the appointment go?”

“It went well,” Carli said after Hope put the call on speaker. “Unfortunately, you’re not going to be here when we do the process,” she added.

“Aww man,” Kelley whined. “Is is during the She Believes Cup?”

“Yeah,” Hope answered. “But, if it works, you’ll be here for other important appointments,” she reasoned.

“And even if it doesn’t, you’ll be there for the next time we try,” Carli added.

The defender sighed. “Yeah, I know,” she replied. “I just really want to be there this time.”

“Kel, it’ll be fine,” the midfielder replied.

“Besides, you’ll be too busy kicking ass to be thinking about it,” Hope reasoned.

“Not true,” Kelley replied.

“Kelley, it’ll be fine,” Carli repeated.

“Okay,” the defender relented.

A door opening was heard on Kelley’s side, than the defender arguing with whoever was in the room.

“No, seriously, Ash, I don’t want to,” Kelley said.

Hope and Carli frowned.

“Kel, what’s up?” the keeper asked.

Kelley huffed. “The team wants to go out tonight since we have tomorrow off,” she answered. “I don’t want to though,” she said, and the two could tell she was talking to Ashlyn.

“You always want to go out,” Carli argued.

“Yeah, but, I want to stay and talk to you guys,” the younger woman admitted shyly.

They heard Ashlyn mutter something.

“Fuck you,” Kelley mumbled.

“Babe, go out with the team,” the midfielder instructed. “You can call us again tomorrow.”

The defender groaned. “Fine,” she reluctantly agreed. “I love you guys, I’ll call you tomorrow,” she promised.

“Love you, too,” the two echoed.

* * *

 

_A month later_

Hope walked into the room after the insemination process was over.

“Hey, you okay?” she asked Carli, who was laying on an exam table.

“Kelley was right,” the midfielder replied. “Having a baby is so weird.”

The older woman laughed. “Don’t tell her that, we’ll never hear the end of it,” she warned.

Dr. Stone walked in just then, interrupting them.

“So everything went well,” she began. “You’ll have to lay there for about thirty minutes, but then you can go about your normal activities,” she explained.

“And when would we be able to do a pregnancy test?” Hope asked.

“Wait two or three weeks,” the doctor answered. “You can do an at home test, but schedule an appointment, too, just to be thorough.”

The couple nodded.

“Thank you,” the keeper replied.

“Of course,” Dr. Stone said. “After the thirty minutes is up, you can change and then go about your day,” she repeated, then left the room.

“So, do we call Kelley now or later tonight?” Hope asked.

“I think they’re at practice right now,” Carli replied. “We can call her later.”

“Alright,” the keeper agreed. “Hey, just remember, even if this doesn’t work now, we’re not going to be disappointed,” she reminded quietly.

The midfielder smiled. “I know,” she replied.

“Good.” Hope nodded. “Kelley and I are probably going to annoy you reminding you of that.”

Carli laughed. “I know, but it’ll be worth it.”

The keeper smiled. “Yeah, it will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All mistakes are mine, I'll edit later, trying to post this before work.
> 
> Leave a comment if you'd like! I like hearing your guys' thoughts and reactions.
> 
> Alright, I want your guys' opinions: Should the process work the first time? Or do you guys think it should take a second or third try to work? Let me know in the comments!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update, yay! :)
> 
> I don't know the exact schedule but I'm pretty sure the She Believes Cup is in February, probably late February, but if it's not, oh well, I tried, lol.
> 
> Mistakes are mine, I'll try to edit later.

After a shocking loss to England in the final of the She Believes Cup, the team’s at a bar commiserating the loss and hanging out one last time until the next camp in a few months.

“Hey, you okay, KO?” Ali asked, sitting across from the younger woman and handing her a beer.

Kelley sighed, taking a sip of the drink. “Yeah,” she said unconvincingly.

“What’s up?” JJ asked, joining the group, Ashlyn and Becky close behind.

“Are we not good enough?” the keeper teased, sitting next to her girlfriend.

“Ash, stop,” the right back scolded.

“Fine,” the short-haired woman pouted.

“Seriously, Kel. What’s up?” Becky questioned, concerned.

Alex approached the table. “Oh, she’s just being mopey about missing the last doctor’s appointment,” she said.

Kelley shoved the forward.

Alex raised her arms in surrender. “Come on, Kel, it’s true,” she defended.

The defender deflated. “Okay, fine,” she conceded. “Yeah, I’m upset about it,” she said.

“I thought you were okay with missing it?” Ali asked.

The younger right back sighed. “I was,” she agreed. “But then I realized that I’d be missing a lot of things if Carli does get pregnant,” she admitted. “And, I don’t know-” she shrugged “-I just don’t want to miss out, you know?” she finished quietly.

“Have you talked to them about this?” Becky asked.

Kelley shook her head. “No. It’s dumb,” she replied. “I’m just overreacting,” she said.

“Kelley, I don’t think they’re going to think that,” Ashlyn stated seriously. “I think they’re going to want to know about this.”

The defender shook her head. “No, it’s fine. I’ll be fine,” she promised, but she didn’t sound convincing. She finished off her beer. “I’m going to get another drink, anyone want another?” she asked, standing up.

JJ nodded, noting the serious expressions on the others. “Yeah, I’ll go with you,” she said. They walked off towards the bar.

“We’re not going to leave it at that, are we?” Ali asked the remaining players.

Becky looked up from her phone, shaking her head. “No, I just sent Hope a text,” she answered.

Kelley and JJ returned, and they dropped the subject for the time being.

* * *

In Seattle, Hope and Carli were laying on the couch watching a movie after the game when the keeper’s phone sounded with a text.

 **Broon:** _Hey, one or both of you need to talk to KO when she gets back._

 **Hope:** _Why? What’s wrong?_

 **Broon:** _She’s still pretty upset about missing the last appointment, and vaguely mentioned considering not playing on the national team._

 **Hope:** _Shit, alright, we’ll talk to her. Thanks, Becky._

“Fuck,” Hope muttered.

“What?” Carli asked, frowning.

“I don’t think Kel is as okay as she says she is with missing the appointment,” the keeper answered. Handing her phone to the midfielder, she said, “Look.”

Carli read over the texts. “Well, shit,” she swore.

“I mean, I get it,” Hope said. “I’m not with the team anymore, so I’m always here, while she’d be gone all the time,” she explained. “And, she has to go to back to Jersey soon for preseason, and if it doesn’t work this time, she’d be missing out on trying again,” she added.

“Damn it,” Carli muttered. “Fuck, we should have talked about this more before jumping into it,” she said.

“I don’t think she would have said anything if we had,” Hope replied. “When she gets back, we’ll talk to her,” she promised.

The younger woman nodded. “If it works out this time, we’d be in Jersey with her,” she said. “She’d be able to come to appointments with us then,” she pointed out.

“I know, and we’ll tell her that,” Hope assured. “But there’s a lot of other parts of a pregnancy she’d be missing,” she reasoned.

“Damn it, we need to talk to her,” Carli murmured.

Hope nodded. “We will,” she promised.

* * *

 

The next afternoon, Hope and Carli greeted Kelley at the airport.

“Sorry about the loss, babe,” the keeper said as she hugged the smaller woman.

Kelley shrugged. “Can’t win them all,” she replied. “Besides, it’s a dumb tournament, doesn’t mean much, you know?” she added, hugging the midfielder.

“I guess not playing with the Dash this year is a good thing,” Carli mused. “I won’t have to hear Daly bragging about it the whole season.”

Kelley laughed. “She gave the back line one hell of a time. With the way she was playing, I’m surprised the score was only 3-2,” she said.

“It’d really help if Jill would stop with the three-back system,” Hope said. “Or just quit with wanting the OBs to be so involved in the attack. It’d piss me off so much when Kling couldn’t get back on defense because she was so high up,” she added.

“Well, something’s going to have to change, or the team’s going to shit,” Kelley said.

“Alright, how about we go back to the house where you don’t have to think about soccer anymore?” Carli suggested.

“That sounds awesome,” the defender agreed.

Hope smiled, grabbing one of Kelley’s bags. “Let’s go then,” she said, wrapping an arm around the younger woman, and holding her other hand out for the midfielder.

* * *

 

Kelley groaned, laying on the bed.

Her girlfriends laughed.

“You alright?” Hope asked.

“I’m staying here and not moving for the rest of the night,” the defender mumbled.

“What about dinner?” Carli asked, laying next to the smaller woman.

“Ugh, fine, I’ll get up for dinner,” Kelley conceded. “But until then, I’m not moving.”

Hope smiled, laying on the other side of the defender. “So, do you want to tell us why you were so upset about missing this last appointment?” she asked carefully.

The defender sighed. “Alright, who told you?” she asked.

“Becky,” Carli answered.

Kelley groaned. “I was hoping it was someone I could yell at,” she grumbled. “I can’t yell at Broon.” She sat up and turned to face the other two. “Okay, yes, I was upset about missing the appointment,” she said.

“You know that if it works this first time, we’ll be in Jersey with you and you won’t be missing out on much, right?” the midfielder asked.

“Yeah, but what if it doesn’t?” Kelley fired back. “What if it doesn’t work, and then I’m back in Jersey without you guys, and not involved,” she argued.

“Kel, it’s okay,” Hope said softly, moving to sit next to the younger woman. Pulling the defender into her, she continued, “It’ll be okay. If it doesn’t take this first time, and you end up being back in Jersey when we do it again, it will be okay.”

“But I don’t want to miss anything,” Kelley cried softly. “I don’t want to be left out.”

“Kelley, just because you’ve missed the last two appointments does not mean you’re being left out,” Carli assured. “You’re a part of this just as much as Hope is, even if you’re not here,” she stated.

“But what if it doesn’t take and we have to try again, and I still miss those appointments?” the younger woman asked quietly.

“Then you’ll miss them,” the midfielder replied gently. “You’ll miss them, and that’s okay, because not a lot happened in the last appointment,” she explained.

“Yeah, most of it was just Carli laying there for a while to let it like, settle, or something,” Hope added. “I’m still not quite sure what the point in that was.”

“I told you having a baby was weird,” Kelley mumbled.

“You did, and you were right,” Carli replied.

“You weren’t supposed to tell her that,” Hope scolded.

“Well, it’s true,” the midfielder retorted. “Anyways, Kel, we promise, when it comes to the really important appointments, you will be there,” she swore.

Kelley nodded, a few tears falling down her cheeks. “Okay,” she said. “I’m sorry, I should have said something earlier,” she mumbled.

“At least we know now,” Hope replied.

“Just remember, you will be there for the important stuff,” Carli said.

“Aww man, does that include when you start getting super emotional about stuff?” Kelley jokingly whined.

“You ass,” the midfielder said, shoving the younger woman.

“I’m kidding,” the defender replied. “Kind of.”

* * *

 

_Two weeks later_

The timer on Kelley’s phone went off, signalling the end of the three minute wait period.

The three looked at the home pregnancy test sitting on the bathroom sink.

“Who’s going to look?” Hope asked.

Kelley pointed to Carli. “She’s the one having the baby,” she reasoned.

The midfielder rolled her eyes. “Nice argument, Kel,” she mumbled.

“Seriously, who’s going to read it?” Hope repeated.

“Okay, fine, I’ll take one for the team and do it,” Kelley said.

She walked over to the counter, looking at the test.

“What does it say?” Carli asked.

Kelley looked at her girlfriends with a blank expression.

“Kel, what does it say?” Hope questioned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My attempt at a cliffhanger! Ahh! What are the results of the test going to be? 
> 
> Do you guys think the pregnancy should take the first time or not? Anything you like or don't like with the story? Leave a comment and let me know! :)
> 
> If anyone knows how to get rid of the A/N below this it would be appreciated if you told me. That note is from the first chapter and I don't want it there anymore lol.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three consecutive updates in a row? What is this? No, seriously, I'm going to be busy the next couple of weeks so I wanted to get as many chapters up as possible. I'm going camping for Thanksgiving and I've got a lot of school work to do, so I'm going to be busy and don't know when the next update will be. Hopefully it won't be too long of a wait, but here's a 2.3k word-long chapter to make up for it.
> 
> Guys, I've reached 100 kudos for this fic, and I cannot believe so many of you have read and like this! This was supposed to be a freaking one shot but here I am ten chapters later. Thank you all, it means a lot to me!
> 
> Alright, at this point I'm pretty sure I've screwed up the timeline so I'm just pretending the NWSL season starts later than usual, my bad. Also, one day someone's going to go through my internet search history and wonder why the fuck I'm looking at pages for artificial insemination and pregnancy stuff and I'm going to have absolutely no idea how to answer that.
> 
> Sorry for the long note, on to the story!

“Pregnant,” Kelley said quietly, looking back down at the test in shock.

“What?” Hope and Carli asked, stunned.

The defender flung the test out towards them. “It says pregnant,” she repeated, quickly becoming excited. “It worked! You’re pregnant!” she exclaimed.

The two other women looked at the test.

“Pregnant,” Hope whispered. “Carli, you’re pregnant!” she said in astonishment.

“Oh my god, it worked,” the midfielder whispered. “It worked,” she repeated, looking up at her girlfriends. “Wait, wait,” she said, shaking her head. “We need to see Dr. Stone and have it confirmed,” she stated.

Hope and Kelley looked at her.

“Yeah, yeah you’re right,” the keeper agreed.

“How soon can that happen?” Kelley asked.

Carli shrugged. “I’m sure we could set an appointment for sometime in the next couple of days,” she answered. “I just want to be sure before we get our hopes up,” she explained.

The other two nodded.

“No, you’re right,” Hope replied.

“Yeah, it’s best to get it confirmed now so we know,” Kelley agreed.

“Okay, then I’ll call and see when we can see her,” Carli stated, earning nods of agreement form her girlfriends.

“But, you could be pregnant,” Hope said.

“We could really be having a baby,” Kelley whispered.

The midfielder. “We could be having a baby,” she agreed.

* * *

 

_Three days later_

“So, you took an at-home test and it came back positive?” Dr. Stone questioned as an assistant took some of Carli’s blood.

Carli nodded. “Yeah, and we wanted to be one hundred percent sure, so we’re here now,” she explained as the assistant left.

The doctor nodded. “Good. I don’t mean to be pessimistic, but there’s a very low chance it took the first time,” she said carefully.

“We know,” Hope said. “We want to be as sure as possible that Carli is pregnant.”

“Well, at-home tests are a lot more accurate today than they used to be,” Dr. Stone replied. “While the chance of it taking the first try is extremely low, it is still possible,” she stated.

“So Carli could be pregnant?” Kelley clarified.

“Yes,” the doctor answered simply. “But, you are right in wanting a blood test done, it will one hundred percent confirm if you’re pregnant or not.”

A knock on the door interrupted them, and the assistant who took the blood sample walked in, a piece paper in her hands. “Here are the results, Dr. Stone,” she said, handing the paper over.

“Thank you, Jessie,” the doctor said with a smile to the young assistant, who nodded then left.

“Well,” she said, looking over the paper. “It looks like congratulations are in order,” she stated, smiling at the three. “You are pregnant, Carli,” she confirmed.

“Really?” the midfielder asked quietly.

Dr. Stone nodded. “Yep, it’s right here on this paper,” she answered. “Congratulations,” she said.

“Oh my god, we’re having a baby!” Kelley exclaimed excitedly.

The doctor nodded, laughing at the defender’s excitement. “Indeed you are,” she agreed. “Now, I believe you guys mentioned moving at the beginning?” she questioned.

Hope nodded, breaking out of her daze. “Yeah, we’re planning to move to Jersey for the league season,” she explained.

Dr. Stone nodded. “Okay. That shouldn’t be a problem. When you figure out who you’re doctor is going to be, call my office and we’ll send over the files we have,” she said.

“Carli will be able to fly, right?” Kelley asked.

“Yes,” the doctor answered. “There are no risks for pregnant women flying, but it’s generally not advised when your due date is close,” she explained. “But since you’re in the first trimester, you’re perfectly fine,” she assured.

“Thank you, Dr. Stone,” Carli said sincerely, Hope and Kelley nodding in agreement.

The doctor smiled. “It’s my job to help you guys,” she replied.

* * *

 

“We’re having a baby!” Kelley shouted, hopping up and down, when they walked into the house later.

Hope and Carli laughed, smiling at the defender’s jubilation.

The defender suddenly stopped, turning to look at the other two with a serious look. “Do we have a plan for moving?” she asked. “Like, we haven’t talked about it or anything. What are we going to do?”

“I have an email from Christie with a list of houses in her area that are for sale or rent,” Hope said. “I got it the other day, but with everything I just kind of forgot to tell you guys,” she mumbled sheepishly.

“Are we looking to buy or rent, though?” Carli asked, as the three moved into the living room.

“Well, we could rent until we figured out we decide where to settle down,” the keeper reasoned.

“Obviously we’re in agreement for selling this house, right?” Kelley questioned, receiving two nods.

“Do we want to live there permanently?” Carli asked.

Hope shrugged. “For right now getting out of Seattle is best, but we could always permanently settle somewhere else,” she answered.

“I have to be back for preseason in like a week,” Kelley reminded.

“Well we could go with you to help get your stuff moved in, and then take a look at some of the houses on the list,” the keeper suggested.

“Sounds like a good idea,” Carli agreed.

“We still have to go see Reece and Rylie,” the defender added. “We can do that while you’re there.”

Hope groaned. “I don’t think Christie is ever going to let us forget that we forgot to go see them.”

“When are we going to tell the team?” the right back asked. “When we started talking about this, I was looking at different websites to see what to expect during a pregnancy, you know, to be prepared,” she explained.

“Nerd,” Hope said through a cough.

Kelley stuck her tongue out at the older woman. “Anyways, one of the pages mentioned miscarriages being common during the first thirteen weeks,” she continued carefully. “Do we want to wait a while before saying anything?”

The other two thought for a moment.

“Yeah, I think it would probably be best to wait a while,” Carli said.

Hope nodded in agreement. “Maybe not the full first trimester, but maybe like after a month or two?” she suggested.

“Yeah, that sounds good,” the midfielder explained.

Kelley nodded. “Yeah, okay,” she agreed.

* * *

 

A few days later the three were in Jersey to help Kelley move into the house she was sharing with some of the other Sky Blue players for the season and to look at houses for themselves.

“You know, once we figure out what we’re doing, I won’t have to live here,” Kelley pointed out as they finished carrying boxes in. “So, really, it’d probably be smart not to unpack everything.”

“But that might not be for a few months still,” Carli said.

“Yeah, we still have to find a place here, and then sell the house,” Hope added.

Kelley sat on the unmade bed. “Oh, yeah,” she mumbled. “A lot goes into moving across the country, huh?” she asked.

Her girlfriends laughed, sitting on either side of her.

“Yeah, it does,” Carli agreed.

“You guys just got lucky that I let you move into my house,” Hope teased.

Kelley scoffed. “You were insane to think we wouldn’t move in with you,” she replied, poking the older woman in the shoulder.

The keeper grabbed Kelley’s hand. “Stop that,” she said. “Why are we having a baby when we already have Kelley?” she asked, looking at Carli.

The midfielder shrugged. “I’ve been asking that myself since we started,” she teased.

The defender pouted. “You guys suck,” she grumbled.

* * *

 

“I see you guys finally decided to visit,” Christie teased as she let three into her house later that day.

“Sorry about that,” Hope said sheepishly.

The former national team captain laughed. “It’s alright. I’m assuming you guys are here to look at houses?” she questioned, leading them into the living room and sitting on the couch.

The three nodded. Kelley looked at her girlfriends, a silent question in her eyes.

Carli nodded. “Yeah, Kel, go ahead,” she said.

Christie watched the three with interest. “What’s up guys?” she asked.

“The process worked,” Kelley answered. “Carli’s pregnant,” she stated, a wide smile growing in her face.

The older woman looked at them in surprised. “Really?”

The midfielder nodded. “Yeah,” she said. “It’s official. I’m pregnant,” she stated.

“Oh my god,” Christie said. “Congratulations guys! You’re going to be amazing parents,” she stated sincerely.

“Thanks, Cap,” Hope replied. “If you could not say anything, though, that would be appreciated,” she added. “We just wanted to let you know so it didn’t seem strange we were trying to find a house here now,” she explained.

The former captain nodded. “I won’t say anything, you have my word,” she promised. She stood up, pulling the midfielder into a hug. “This is awesome news, guys. I’m so happy for you,” she stated, hugging the other two.

“Thank you, Christie,” the midfielder said. “We’re really excited about this.”

“You should be,” the older woman replied.

“I think Kelley’s a little too excited,” Hope joked. “Apparently she’s been looking at a lot of pregnancy websites.”

“Hey,” the younger said, pouting. “I just want to be prepared, okay?” she defended.

Christie laughed. “Just don’t go overboard with it and you’ll be fine,” she said. “So I take it you’re all going to be living here then?” she questioned.

Hope nodded. “Yeah, I need to get out of Seattle for now, and since Carli won’t be playing for the Dash this season, we figured coming here would be best,” she answered.

The older woman nodded. “Well I sent you that list of houses in the area, have you looked at any of them?” she prodded.

“A few,” the keeper answered. “There are two that we’re considering.”

“One’s for sale and the other is for rent,” Carli added. “We just have to decide if we want it to be our permanent house or a temporary thing.”

“Do you think you would consider going back to Seattle at some point?”

Hope sighed. “I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “I need to get out because the media and random people showing up at the house is getting to be too much,” she explained. “And now that we’re having a baby, that’s something we don’t need.”

Christie nodded. “I get it,” she said. “You guys could always rent and then figure out what you want to do after the upcoming season,” she reasoned. “You don’t have to everything figured out right now.”

The three nodded.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Carli agreed.

“I think we know what we’re doing then,” Hope said.

“So does that mean you guys will be around often to see the girls?” Christie questioned.

Hope groaned. “How mad are they we never came around to see them last time?” she asked.

“Well, they were pretty upset,” the older woman replied. “I think they’re over it by now. They’ll be happy to know they’ll get to see you pretty often this season, assuming you guys come to home games and such,” she explained.

“Okay, but, in our defense,” Kelley began. “The team had away games the two weeks after I got hurt, so it’s not like we really had time in the week Hope was there,” she stated.

“We’ll definitely be around at games,” Carli said. “It’ll be weird watching instead of playing though,” she added.

“It’ll be worth it though,” Christie promised.

“Yeah, it will,” the midfielder agreed.

“If you guys need any help when you find a place and start getting moved in, let me know,” she said. “I can get Tash to help, too, and I’m sure Reece and Rylie will want to help.”

Kelley laughed. “Or try to help, anyways.”

“We’ll find something for them to do,” Hope said.

* * *

 

A week later found Hope and Carli in Seattle with Kelley back in Jersey for preseason training.

The two were on the phone with Kelley as they laid in bed.

“So, how goes all the stuff with getting the house ready to sell?” the defender asked.

“We’re getting there,” Hope answered. “We’ve still got about three months before we can move into the new house there, but we’re getting everything ready here.”

“Are you one hundred percent sure you want to move out of Seattle?” the defender questioned.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Hope replied. “I think this is for the best. Especially now,” she added.

“Okay, I just want you to be sure,” Kelley said.

“How’s being back with Sky Blue?” Carli asked.

“It’s been like three days and Cap’s kicking everybody’s butts,” the defender grumbled. “But otherwise it’s going good. I’m happy to be playing with everybody again.”

“Well someone has to keep you guys in line,” Hope retorted. “Knowing your team’s tendency to get a little crazy, Cap has to be the responsible one.”

“Hey, rude,” Kelley whined. “I can be perfectly responsible, thank you very much.”

“Sure you can,” Carli replied teasingly.

“I hate you guys,” the younger woman muttered.

“No you don’t,” the other said simultaneously.

Kelley groaned. “Fine, I don’t. But you guys suck.”

“Love you, too, Kel,” Hope responded sarcastically.

A yawn came from the other end of the line.

“You alright?” Carli asked.

“Yeah, just tired,” the defender answered. “It’s getting pretty late here.”

“Why don’t you go to bed?” the keeper questioned.

“Because I like talking to you guys, and I miss you,” the younger woman answered, yawning once again.

Hope smiled. “Kel, go to bed,” she ordered softly. “You’re not doing yourself any good staying up.”

“And we’ll be there in a few weeks, together,” Carli added. “But for now, it’ll be okay.”

The defender sighed. “Okay, fine,” she agreed reluctantly. “Love you guys,” she said softly.

“Love you, too, Kel,” the older two echoed, ending the call.

Hope pulled the midfielder close. “We’re going to be just fine,” she said quietly. “You know, a few months ago, this is not where I would have expected us to be,” she admitted.

Carli smiled. “Yeah, but I’m happy we’re doing this,” she said.

Hope smiled, pressing a kiss to the younger woman’s temple. “I am, too,” she agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a review if you'd like! I appreciate them all so much!
> 
> Also, let me know if there's more stuff you want to see and I will try to work it in to the story!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! It's been like a week (it's Sunday when I'm posting, but it says Monday) but I was getting ready for a camping trip and doing school work. To make up for the wait, here's a 3k word chapter. A lot happens in this one. 
> 
> There's a change in POV towards the end, it's not focusing on Kelley, Hope, or Carli, but more of a general 3rd person POV, so hopefully that doesn't cause too much confusion.
> 
> I'm still using poor research and/or totally making stuff up for medical stuff, so that's probably all wrong.
> 
> And I have completely lost track of the time line and am just going with the flow.

A few weeks later Kelley was returning from practice when her phone notified her of a text.

 **Carli:** _Picture attachment_

The defender laughed seeing a picture of a glass of chocolate milk on the counter before another text came.

 **Carli:** _This kid is definitely 10% you._

Kelley frowned, tapping the midfielder’s number.

“I’m only ten percent of our baby?” the defender whined when her girlfriend answered.

Carli laughed on the other end. “You might be more, but me craving chocolate milk is definitely all from you,” she teased.

“Aww come on,” the defender pouted, moving to her bedroom. “That kid is definitely more than ten percent me.”

“We’ll just have to wait and see then,” Carli replied.

“I can’t wait until you guys get here,” Kelley said, laying on her bed.

“I know. It’s just two more weeks,” the midfielder promised. “And we have an appointment a few days after we get settled,” she reminded.

The defender smiled excitedly. “We’re going to be able to hear the heartbeat right?” she asked.

“I think so, as long as everything is okay,” her girlfriend confirmed.

“Everything’s been going okay so far, right?” Kelley questioned concernedly.

“Yes, Kel,” Carli answered. “Everything’s fine, I promise.”

“Okay. I’m not with you guys so I’m just making sure,” the younger woman replied.

“I know,” the older woman said. “I know, but like I said, we’ll be there in a few weeks.”

Kelley sighed. “I know, I just want you to be here now,” she responded. “Where’s Hope anyway?” she asked.

“Out doing some training,” the midfielder replied. “She should be back soon though.”

“When can we tell the team?” Kelley asked.

“There’s a camp coming up, right?” Carli asked.

“Yeah, in like a month,” the defender replied. “It’s at Red Bull Arena, so you two will be there, right?” she asked.

“Yeah, we’ll be there,” her girlfriend promised. “You can tell the team during camp,” she said.

“Yeah?” Kelley asked.

“Yeah, Hope and I will be there, too, but we’ll tell them during the camp,” she responded.

“And Hope’s agreed to this?”

“Yeah, she has no problem with it. I’ll be around fourteen weeks, passed the first trimester,” Carli explained.

“Okay,” Kelley said. “They’re going to freak out,” she stated.

“Probably,” Carli agreed with a laugh. “But I’m sure they’ll be pretty excited, too.”

“There’s like three other people who have had babies recently, I don’t see why the team’s freaking out about us having a baby,” the defender countered.

“Probably because they didn’t think Carli and I were really going to go through with this,” Hope interjected suddenly.

“Hey, babe,” Kelley greeted. “How was your training? And I really don’t get why they’re so surprised though,” she continued.

“I’m getting there. My shoulder still gets sore pretty fast, but it’s getting better,” the keeper answered.

“And it’s probably because Hope and I haven’t exactly been vocal about having kids,” Carli pointed out.

“I guess,” the right back conceded. “I need to go find food,” she groaned.

“Rough day of practice?” Hope asked.

“Rough and long,” Kelley grumbled. “Opening day is in a few days, and the coaches are not letting up,” she explained.

“Well, at least your first game isn’t against the Reign this season,” Hope said. “And you won’t be dealing with me in goal.”

“I need you to get back to the Reign so I can get at least one goal on you that isn’t ruled offsides,” the younger woman ordered.

Her girlfriends laughed. “I don’t know when I’ll be back with Seattle,” Hope answered. “And you’re never going to get that goal. Sorry, babe,” she stated.

“You suck,” Kelley whined.

“But you love me,” the keeper fired back.

“I don’t know why though,” the defender teased.

“Well you better figure that out because we’re having a baby now,” Carli retorted.

“You both know I love you,” Kelley said.

“Love you, too,” the older women replied.

“Now go feed yourself, I don’t want to hear you complain about being hungry,” Hope added.

“Rude,” Kelley huffed. “Fine, I’ll talk to you guys later.”

* * *

 

Two weeks later and the three were finally moving into the new house.

“Sam and the others are so mad that I’m ditching them,” Kelley remarked as they carried boxes into the kitchen.

“Tell them they won’t have to deal with us having sex, since that’s going to be happening a lot,” Hope said. “I’m sure they’ll be happy about that.”

“I already told them that,” the younger woman replied. “They’re just mad because they’re going to miss the awesomeness that is me,” she said with a smirk.

“Yeah, I don’t think that’s it,” Carli retorted.

The defender pouted. “Fine, they’re not actually mad. But they’re definitely glad they won’t have to deal with all the sex,” she relented. “Actually, maybe I’ll move back in with them if it the sex gets to be too much,” she joked.

Carli rolled her eyes. “Do that and you’ll never get laid again,” she warned.

Kelley pouted. “You’re no fun,” she huffed.

The midfielder suddenly ran down the hall, leaving the other two in the kitchen.

Kelley quickly followed, finding Carli in the bathroom.

“You okay?” the defender asked quietly.

“I am now that I’ve just emptied the contents of my stomach,” the older woman muttered, leaning back against the wall.

Kelley scrunched her face in disgust, sitting next to the older woman. “Gross,” she said.

“I know,” the midfielder agreed. “It doesn’t happen often, but it’s pretty bad when it does,” she explained, leaning against the younger woman.

Kelley wrapped an arm around her girlfriend. “Anything I can do?” she asked.

Carli shook her head. “Not really. I just have to deal with it,” she answered.

“Well that sucks,” the defender replied.

“Yeah, but we’re having a baby, so I’ll deal with it,” the midfielder countered.

“Alright, good point,” Kelley relented. Standing up, she held a hand out for the midfielder. “Come on, we should go make sure Solo didn’t destroy the kitchen.”

Carli laughed, letting the defender help her up. “If anyone’s going to destroy the kitchen, it’s you.”

* * *

 

Two days later they were sitting in the waiting room of the doctor’s office.

“So, this doctor knows the three of are together, right?” Kelley asked quietly.

Hope looked up from her phone, nodding. “Yeah, she knows,” she confirmed. “She’s apparently a former colleague of Dr. Stone, who explained everything when she sent over the file,” she explained.

The defender nodded. “Okay, good,” she said.

“You worried, Kel?” Carli asked.

Kelley shook her head. “No, not anymore,” she replied. “It would just suck if we got stuck with a doctor that was completely against us being together, you know?” she reasoned.

Her girlfriends nodded, but didn’t get to say anything before being called back.

“Dr. Adams will be in shortly,” the assistant said as she led them to the exam room. “She asked though that I take a blood sample quickly, if you don’t mind?” she asked.

Carli shook her head. “No, I’m getting used to it at this point,” she answered.

The assistant smiled. “I’m sure,” she laughed. “I’m sure nothing’s wrong, it’s just a precaution,” she said, taking the blood sample. “Alright, Dr. Adams should be in soon,” she repeated, and with one last smile left the room.

About a minute later, a tall, brunette doctor walked in. “Sorry for the wait,” she apologized as she moved to stand behind her desk. Holding her hand out to the three she said, “I’m Dr. Charlotte Adams.”

Carli shook the offered hand. “Carli,” she replied.

Dr. Adams nodded. “And I’m assuming you’re Hope and Kelley?” she asked to the other two.

The keeper nodded. “Hope,” she confirmed, also shaking the doctor’s hand, Kelley doing the same.

The doctor nodded. “Dr. Stone sent me your file. The insemination process took the first time?” she questioned.

The midfielder nodded. “Yeah. We were a little shocked that it took the first time,” she answered.

“While it is pretty rare for that to happen, it still is possible,” the doctor replied. “There is still a chance of miscarriage, but the chances lower the further along you are,” she explained carefully.

“We know,” Carli said.

“Okay, I’m assuming you’re wanting to see the ultrasound?” she asked, receiving three nods. “Alright then, let’s get to it.”

She pulled the ultrasound machine over towards the exam table and motioned for the midfielder to lay down.

“Okay, fair warning, this gel is going to be cold,” she said.

“What’s it for?” Kelley asked curiously.

“The ultrasound waves can’t travel through air, so the gel acts as a medium so we can see what we’re looking at,” the doctor answered as she applied the gel and started the ultrasound. After a minute, she smiled. “In this case, we’re looking at your baby,” she said as she turned the screen around, pointing to a blob.

Kelley squinted. “That’s the baby?” she asked, earning a slap from Hope. “Ow! Rude,” she huffed.

Dr. Adams smiled. “Yes, that’s the baby,” she confirmed. “You’re about eight weeks along,” she said to Carli.

“Are we able to hear the heartbeat?” the midfielder asked.

“Unfortunately I don’t think we’ll be able to hear the heartbeat today, but definitely by the next appointment,” the older woman explained.

“Aww,” the defender whined. “I was really excited for that.”

The keeper rolled her eyes, trying to hide a smile. “Next time, Kel,” she said quietly.

A knock on the door interrupted them, and the assistant from earlier walked in.

“Here are the results, Dr. Adams,” she said, handing over some papers.

The doctor nodded, looking over the papers. “Thank you, Lizzie,” she said as the assistant left.

“Everything looks good. And I don’t see any issues with the ultrasound,” she said as she gave Carli some paper towels to wipe of the gel.

“So everything’s going well right now?” Hope asked.

“Yep, everything looks good,” the older woman confirmed. She printed off a few pictures, handing them to the keeper. “Whatever you’ve been doing, I don’t see a reason to stop,” she said to Carli.

“She eats nothing but lettuce and works out all the time,” Kelley mumbled, earning a glare from the midfielder.

“That’s not true,” Carli argued.

“It might as well be,” the defender replied.

“Well, just make sure you do get nutrients,” the doctor interjected. “And as long as you’re not doing too strenuous activities, you’ll be fine.”

“Thank god,” Kelley mumbled. “I don’t think I can deal with Carli if she’s not allowed to work out,” she said, earning an eye roll from the midfielder.

“Come on, Kel, leave her alone,” Hope admonished.

The defender pouted. “Fine,” she begrudgingly agreed.

Dr. Adams smiled, watching the trio amusedly. “I have a feeling you’re going to be one of my favorite patients,” she mused. “Though, don’t tell anyone I said that.”

“Just ignore Kelley,” Carli said, earning a look of mock hurt from the younger woman.

The doctor shook her head. “Alright, well, everything looks good, so I think we’re done here for today,” she said. “I’ll see you guys in a few weeks, and hopefully we can get a heartbeat,” she continued.

“Maybe next time we won’t bring Kelley,” Hope teased.

“Woah, hey, rude,” Kelley huffed. “You guys promised I’d be at all the appointments,” she argued.

Carli shook her head, wrapping an arm around the younger woman. “You will, I’ll make sure of it,” she promised.

* * *

 

A little over a month later, the national team was in camp for two games against Canada. Kelley was hanging out with Ali, Ashlyn, Alex, and JJ in Ali and Becky’s room.

“You guys ready to take on the Canadians?” JJ asked.

“Hell yeah,” Kelley answered. “It’ll be awesome taking on an actual challenging team for once,” she stated.

“Is that not what the She Believes Cup was for?” Alex remarked sarcastically.

Before anyone else could say anything, Becky walked into the room.

“Hey, Kelley, can I talk to you for second?” she asked.

The younger defender nodded. “Yeah what’s up?” she asked.

“I think we should go somewhere else first,” the captain said. “Hope called, let’s just-”

“Why did Hope call you?” Kelley asked, cutting the older woman off, dreading the answer.

“Kel, let’s go somewhere private,” Becky repeated.

“Becky, why did Hope call you?” the right back repeated.

Ali laid a hand on the younger woman’s shoulder. “Kel, go with Becky and she’ll explain.”

Kelley shook off the older right back. “No, tell me why Hope called you,” she demanded.

Becky sighed. “Carli collapsed earlier, they’re at the hospital now,” she answered.

Kelley froze. “What?” she asked confusedly, looking like she was about to fall over.

Ali quickly pulled the younger woman into her. “Kel?” she said concernedly.

“I need to go,” Kelley whispered, tears forming. “I need to go right now.”

“Kel, what’s going on?” Alex asked.

“Becky, I need to go to the hospital,” Kelley pleaded, ignoring the forward.

“Kelley, Hope said everything’s fine,” the captain said. “They’ll be here later, but she wanted you to stay here,” she explained gently.

“No, I need to go,” Kelley argued, trying to get out of Ali’s grip.

The older right back didn’t let up, instead holding the younger woman tighter. “Kelley, why do you need to go so urgently?” she asked softly. “Hope said everything’s fine and they’ll be here later.

“Carli’s pregnant!” Kelley shouted, earning shocked looks from everyone. “Carli’s pregnant and something could be wrong with the baby!” she cried.

Becky and Ali shared a look.

“Okay, Kelley, let’s go get your stuff and tell Jill where we’re going, okay?” Becky asked softly. “Kriegs, meet us in the lobby in five minutes,” she said, earning a nod from the right back, before leading Kelley out of the room.

“None of you say a word to the rest of the team,” Ali ordered sternly.

The other three nodded.

“Yeah, okay,” JJ said, slightly fearful of the look the older defender was giving them.

“No problem, Kriegs,” Alex agreed.

The right back looked at Ashlyn. “You know what? You guys stay in this room until we get back,” she stated. “And make sure she-” she pointed to the keeper- “doesn’t say anything to anyone.”

“Got it,” JJ and Alex replied.

Ali sighed, grabbing her purse and room key. “I’ll let you know when we’re back,” she said before leaving the room.

* * *

 

About twenty minutes later, Ali and Becky led Kelley to the room Hope had texted the center back.

Leaving the other two defenders outside, Kelley ran into the room, running straight to the midfielder.

“Kel, I’m okay,” Carli said quietly as she pulled the younger woman into a hug. “I’m okay, I promise.”

The younger woman let out a choked sob, tears falling down her cheek. “You scared me,” she whispered. “I thought something was wrong with the baby,” she cried.

“Come here,” the midfielder said, tugging the defender’s hand until the younger woman climbed up into the hospital bed with her. “The baby and I are fine,” she stated emphatically.

“Carli was just dehydrated,” Hope explained, sitting on the edge of the bed. “They’re giving her an IV treatment, but she’s fine,” she promised.

Kelley nodded. “Okay,” she replied, wiping away tears.

“We were going to tell you when we came to the hotel,” Carli said.

“Becky was supposed to tell you,” Hope said.

“She did,” Kelley admitted. “Or, she tried, but I wouldn’t listen,” she amended sheepishly.

“Of course you didn’t,” the midfielder said.

A knock interrupted them, and Dr. Adams walked into the room, an assistant following with an ultrasound machine.

“I see Kelley’s joined us,” she said as the defender sat up. “How about we take another look at the baby, and see if we can get a heartbeat?” she asked.

Carli nodded. “I think that sounds like a good idea,” she agreed.

Hope walked to the other side of the bed as the doctor set everything up, pulling Kelley into her. “The baby’s just fine, you’ll see,” she said quietly, placing a kiss to the shorter woman’s temple.

Dr. Adams nodded, turning the screen around. “Yep, the baby’s just fine,” she confirmed. She hit a button, and soon the room was filled with a fast, rhythmic sound. “And that’s your baby’s heartbeat,” she said. “130 beats per minute, the baby’s doing just fine.”

Kelley watched the screen mesmerizingly. “Can we find out the gender?” she asked.

“Not for another few weeks,” the doctor answered. “Somewhere between eighteen and twenty weeks is usually when the gender can be determined,” she explained. She shut off the machine. “Alright, everything looks good. I’ll come by again later, and if that IV is finished, you can be discharged,” she said.

Carli nodded. “Thank you,” she responded as the doctor left.

Hope left the room for a second, before reappearing with Becky and Ali.

“You okay, Carli?” Ali asked.

The midfielder nodded. “Yeah, just dehydrated is all,” she answered. “Do you guys know?”

Becky nodded. “We do, and so do Ashlyn, Alex, and JJ,” she replied.

“I told them to stay in my room and not tell anyone until we get back,” Ali added.

Hope nodded. “Thank you,” she said. “We were planning on telling you guys tonight when we came by,” she stated.

“How far along are you?” the center back questioned.

“Fourteen weeks,” Carli answered. “We were waiting until I was past the first trimester to tell you guys,” she explained.

“So it took the first time?” the older right back asked.

“Yeah, which was surprising,” Hope answered. “The chances of that happening are extremely low.”

“But everything’s okay now?” Becky asked.

Carli nodded. “Everything’s okay. The baby and I are fine.”

“She just has to make sure she drinks a lot of water,” Hope added. “And cut back how much she works out, if not stop completely.”

Kelley scoffed. “Like that’s going to happen,” she muttered.

“Good luck with that,” Ali said with a laugh.

“Alright, Kriegs and I should head back,” Becky said. “Kel, Jill said you could come back with Hope and Carli later.”

The younger woman nodded. “Okay. Thanks, Becky,” she replied. “I’m sorry I wouldn’t listen to you earlier,” she said.

The captain shook her head. “I should have just told you from the start,” she said. “We’ll see you guys later tonight,” she promised as she and Ali left the room.

“Well, that’s one way to tell the team you’re pregnant,” Hope joked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, that was a lot, wasn't it? Lol. Next up will be the rest of the team finding out about the pregnancy, but I'm not quite sure when that will be up.
> 
> Leave a review if you'd like, I love hearing from all of you! And if there's stuff you like/don't like or want to see more of, let me know!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So kind of short, but I posted a new O'Harli one shot that was over 3k words today, so that's my defense, lol. Uh I'm totally making stuff up still, so the camp they're in I made up last chapter. I think that's it tbh, pretty short A/N for once, lol.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Kelley asked as the three of them walked into the team’s hotel. “We don’t have to say anything right now you know.”

“Kel, I’m fine,” Carli replied emphatically as they entered the lobby. “I know we don’t have to tell the team anything tonight,” she agreed. “But it’ll be better to do it tonight, especially so that the girls who already know don’t have to hide anything,” she explained.

The defender sighed. “Okay, you’re right,” she relented. “But only because Ash is one of the ones who knows and she’s terrible at keeping secrets,” she added petulantly.

The midfielder rolled her eyes. “Sure, Kel, whatever you say,” she replied.

“Come on, Kel,” Hope said. “Carli says she’s fine. If she wasn’t, we would still be at the hospital, wouldn’t we?” she pointed out.

“I know, I know,” Kelley stated. “Just, if it gets to be too much...”

Carli stopped, turning to face the younger woman. “Kelley, I promise, I will be fine,” she swore. “You don’t have to worry about me or the baby, okay?” she asked softly.

The defender nodded. “Yeah, okay,” she agreed.

“Wow, who would’ve thought Kelley would be the one to be over worried?” Hope teased, earning a slap on the arm from the younger woman.

“You’re the one who’s with Carli all the time,” Kelley argued. “It’s different when I’m away from you guys and don’t know what’s going on,” she said quietly.

“Hey,” Carli said, pulling Kelley into a hug. “I’m okay, and the baby’s okay. If that changes, I will tell you, okay?”

The defender nodded. “Okay.”

“Good. Now come on,” the midfielder said. “Let’s go tell the team.”

The three entered the conference room the team had been assigned, finding Becky, Ali, Jill and Dawn already there.

“Hey guys,” Becky greeted. “Everything good?”

Carli nodded. “Yep, everything’s good,” she confirmed.

“That’s good,” Dawn said. “So I hear congratulations are in order?” she asked excitedly.

The midfielder nodded, smiling. “Yeah, we’re having a baby,” she confirmed.

“Oh, that’s amazing news!” the trainer exclaimed. “I’m so happy for you guys,” she said, pulling Carli into a hug.

“If we could just not have any other scares like today, that would be great,” Kelley mumbled, earning a slap on the arm from Ali. “Ow, what the fuck, Kriegs?”

“Be nice,” the older right back reprimanded. “It’s probably a lot harder to keep hydrated when you’re pregnant,” she pointed out.

Kelley sighed. “Fine, you’re right,” she relented. “Sorry, Carli,” she said to her girlfriend,

“It’s alright, Kel,” the midfielder assured.

“So, how far along are you?” Jill asked.

“Fourteen weeks, just past the first trimester,” Hope answered. “We were planning on telling the team earlier today, but obviously we were distracted.”

“Why don’t Ali and I go get the rest of the team so you can tell them,” Becky suggested. “If you guys are still planning on telling them?” she clarified.

Carli nodded. “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea,” she agreed.

“I’ll make sure Ash doesn’t say anything on the way down here,” Ali promised.

“I told you she was bad at keeping secrets,” Kelley muttered as the two defenders left.

Hope rolled her eyes. “You did,” she agreed.

“Hey, are we going to tell the ones who retired or aren’t on the roster through the group chat like we did when we first decided to try?” the right back asked.

Her girlfriends shared a look.

Hope shrugged. “I mean, I don’t see why not,” she said.

Carli nodded. “Yeah, but let’s tell the team here first,” she agreed.

At that moment, Becky and Ali returned with the rest of the team.

“Hope! Carli!” Tobin shouted seeing the older players. “What are you guys doing here?” she asked, hugging the two.

“Hey, Tobs,” the keeper greeted.

“We figured since you guys were playing in Jersey we’d stop by and see you guys,” Carli explained.

“Awesome. Are you guys going to be at the game, then?” the younger midfielder questioned.

“Yeah, we will be,” Hope answered.

“Stupid, why wouldn’t they be?” Ashlyn asked incredulously, yelping when her girlfriend hit her.

“Don’t be rude,” she scolded.

Hope laughed. “Alright, to save Ashlyn from the wrath of Kriegs, we do have something to tell you guys,” she said.

Carli nodded. “As you guys know, we had a first try with having a baby a few months ago,” she started, earning a few nods. “Well, we found out a few weeks ago that it worked,” she continued. “I’m pregnant.”

There was a stunned silence, before Kealia shouted, “Shut up! No fucking way!”

The three laughed.

“We’re serious,” Kelley said. “Carli’s pregnant.”

Suddenly there was an outburst of excited shouts.

“Wait, wait, does this have anything to do with why Kelley looked like she was crying earlier?” Alyssa interjected.

Kelley blushed, looking away, embarrassed.

Hope nodded. “Yeah, it did. Carli collapsed earlier, we actually just came back from the hospital,” she explained.

“But, everything’s okay,” the midfielder assured quickly as some of the players gasped in shock. “Everything’s fine. The baby and I are okay. It was just dehydration that caused it,” she explained.

Ashlyn snorted. “You, who literally drinks nothing but water, were dehydrated?” she questioned, earning another slap from Ali. “Damn it, Ali, stop that!” she cried.

“For fuck’s sake, Ash, be nice,” the right back hissed.

Hope laughed loudly. “I cannot wait for you guys to try to have a baby to see how you react to these things, Harris,” she said.

Carli rolled her eyes. “Anyways, yes, we’re having a baby, and other than the incident today, everything’s fine,” she said.

“How far along are you?” Alex asked.

“Fourteen weeks,” the midfielder answered. “We were waiting for the first trimester to pass before we said anything.”

“So it’s official?” Sam asked. “There’s going to be an O’Harli baby?”

Carli sighed. “I really wish you guys would stop saying that,” she muttered.

Hope laughed at her girlfriend’s despair. “Just wait until we tell the group chat. Then we’ll be dealing with Syd and Steph,” she said.

The midfielder groaned. “Fuck, let’s just not tell them.”

Kelley chuckled. “I don’t think that’s going to work, babe,” she stated.

“Yeah, especially with Mewis, Horan, and Sonnet over there,” Ashlyn interjected. “You know they’re not going to be able to keep that from Steph, especially Sammy.”

“Fine,” Carli relented reluctantly.

“Come on, it won’t be that bad,” Hope comforted. “Heads up guys, you’re phones are probably about to be bombarded with texts, mostly from Syd,” she warned.

“That’ll be fun,” Morgan said. “The last time you used the group chat was interesting.”

“Syd has her own kid, why is she so invested in you guys having a baby?” JJ asked confusedly.

Kelley shrugged. “No idea. But it’s Sydney, so we don’t question it,” she replied.

* * *

 

Later that evening, the three were laying on Kelley’s bed in the room she was sharing with Sam, who was hanging out with Lindsey and Emily.

“So, you guys ready to make the group chat explode?” the defender asked.

Hope laughed. “Considering half the people in the group chat are scattered around this hotel, I don’t think it will explode,” she retorted.

“Well, let’s send a text and see,” Carli said.

_USWNT Group Chat_

**Carli:** _Hey guys, there’s something we need to tell you all._

 **Cheney:** _What’s up?_

 **HAO:** _Everything okay?_

 **Hope:** _Everything’s fine._

 **Boxxy:** _Then what’s up?_

 **ARod:** _This sounds important._

 **Syd:** _You guys better not be breaking up._

 **Hope:** _Syd what the fuck?_

 **HAO:** _Why would you think that?_

 **Kelley:** _What the hell Syd?_

 **Syd:** _In my defense, Carli never starts a group conversation. So if she’s the one starting it, it has to be serious._

 **Hope:** _We’re not breaking up._

 **Syd:** _Good. I was worried for a second._

 **Kelley:** _There is something we want you all to know._

 **Carli:** _There’s going to be a new national team baby in a few months._

 **Syd:** _WHAT_

 **HAO:** _No way! That’s awesome!_

 **Cheney:** _Oh my god! Congratulations guys!_

 **Boxxy:** _Oh that’s amazing! I’m so happy for you guys!_

 **Syd:** _WHAT_

 **Chups:** _Congratulations guys! This is amazing!_

 **ARod:** _No way! I’m so excited for you three!_

 **Cheney:** _Syd you okay over there?_

 **Syd:** _I AM NOT OKAY_

 **Syd:** _THERE IS GOING TO BE AN O’HARLI BABY_

 **Syd:** _I AM NOT OKAY_

 **Carli:** _You need to stop saying that._

 **Ashlyn:** _Where’s Steph?_

 **McCafferey:** _Carlos wtf? You guys are having a baby and you didn’t tell me? You’re favorite child?_

 **HAO:** _There she is._

 **McCafferey:** _I am offended._

 **Mewtwo:** _Ha! We found out way before you Steph!_

 **Horan:** _We found out months ago._

 **McCafferey:** _What the hell?! I thought you guys loved me?!_

 **Carli:** _See, this is why we didn’t tell you._

 **McCafferey:** _*gasp* I am hurt. You don’t love me. I’m leaving._

 **Alyssa:** _Steph, honestly, stfu. Quit being so dramatic._

 **McCafferey:** _Ugh, fine._

 **Syd:** _I CALL DIBS ON GODMOTHER._

 **Hope:** _……_

 **Carli:** _Seriously Syd?_

 **Kelley:** _Well, fuck._

“We’re not having that conversation right now,” Carli muttered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a review if you'd like! 
> 
> PS: I trying to decide what gender the baby should be, so if you guys want to vote on that, leave a comment.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I regret nothing.

A few weeks later, the trio were getting ready for the appointment to find out the sex of the baby.

Kelley sat down at the table next to Carli, a cup of coffee in her hands. “What if we wait until you have the baby to find out the sex?” she said thoughtfully.

The older woman looked at Kelley’s cup longingly. “I really hate not being able to drink coffee,” she mumbled.

The defender laughed. “Listen, once the baby’s here, I’ll buy you as much coffee as you want for two months,” she promised.

“Careful, Kel,” Hope interjected as she entered the kitchen, hair still wet from a shower. “You might just go broke with that kind of promise,” she warned, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

Kelley shrugged. “It’d be worth it,” she replied cheekily.

Carli rolled her eyes. “You’re such a suck up,” she teased, kissing the defender’s cheek as she stood up. Putting her plate in the sink, she turned back and asked, “So what were you saying about finding out the sex of the baby?”

The defender shrugged. “I just thought, what if we waited until the baby was born?” she repeated. “It’s our first baby, do we really want to know the sex before they’re born?”

Her girlfriends thought it over for a minute. 

“I mean, I want to know if it’s a boy or girl, but I kind of like being in suspense, you know?” Hope said.

Carli nodded. “Yeah, and if we decide we do want to know the sex beforehand, we can always find out later,” she pointed out.

“Wait, you guys are actually agreeing to this?” Kelley asked incredulously. 

The keeper shrugged. “It’s a pretty good idea,” she replied. “And like Carli said, if we change our minds, we can always find out later.” She put her cup in the sink. “Now come on, we don’t want to be late.”

* * *

 

“So, do you want to find out the sex of the baby today?” Dr. Adams asked as she led the three into an exam room.

“Actually, we’re going to wait on that,” Carli replied. “For the time being, anyways,” she added. 

The doctor nodded. “A lot of parents-to-be decide to wait,” she said. “And, if you change your minds, there’s always the next ultrasound.”

Hope nodded. “That’s what we thought,” she agreed. 

Dr. Adams smiled, setting up the ultrasound equipment. “Well, we may not be determining the sex, but we can still take a look and see the baby,” she said.

She put the gel on the midfielder’s stomach, and turned on the machine. She looked over the image for a few moments, before turning the screen around.

“Everything looks good,” she continued. Pointing to the screen, she added, “You can see the baby’s spine, and even the head.”

Kelley looked at the image, fascinated. “Guys, that’s our baby,” she whispered.

Carli looked at the younger woman, a sarcastic remark ready, but stopped when she saw the look on her girlfriend’s face. Instead, she smiled and replied, “Yeah, it is.”

“It’s so small,” Kelley added. “And kind of weird looking.”

Hope rolled her eyes, slapping the defender’s arm, but she couldn’t help the laugh that escaped. 

Dr. Adams smiled. “Well, there’s still some development to be made, but everything looks good,” she told them, printing out some pictures. “And, fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you think, the baby isn’t in a good position to determine the sex,” she added. “So, you still have some time to think about if you want to know the sex or not. But it’s okay if you don’t,” she assured.

“We’ll think about it,” Carli said.

The doctor nodded. “Now, there is one thing I want to discuss,” she said, turning off the machine and pushing it to the side. “How much do you exercise normally on a daily basis?” she asked the midfielder.

“I go for a run every morning or evening, and then do weightlifting or other things every couple of days,” she answered.

Dr. Adams nodded. “After last month’s incident, I want to put you on restricted activity,” she said bluntly. “It’s not complete bed rest, you can still be up and moving around, just no strenuous workouts. It’s just a precaution so nothing like that happens again,” she explained.

Carli groaned. “Okay,” she agreed reluctantly.

“I know as an athlete you don’t want to be told this, but for the health of the baby, I’m telling you not to do anything too strenuous,” Dr. Stone stated.

“Carli, even Dawn would tell you to take it easy,” Hope pointed out.

“I know,” the midfielder agreed. “I just hate not doing anything.”

Kelley scoffed. “That’s an understatement,” she muttered. “You don’t stop for anything.”

“I will if it means the baby’s healthy,” Carli said.

* * *

 

A few days later, Kelley walked downstairs to find Carli getting ready to go outside.

“Where are you going?” the defender asked.

“To take the dogs for a short walk,” the midfielder answered.

Kelley quirked an eyebrow. “By yourself? Are you sure that’s a good idea?” she questioned.

Carli looked at the younger woman. “I don’t see a problem with it,” she replied.

“Carli, you’re not supposed to be doing anything too strenuous,” the defender reminded.

The older woman sighed. “I’m just taking the dogs for a walk, Kel,” she said. “Not a run, a walk.”

“Yeah, but Rogue’s still learning to walk on a leash properly, and Sasha and Onyx are pretty strong,” Kelley said. “What if they pull too much and you fall?” she asked. 

“Kelley, I’ll be fine,” Carli promised.

“Yeah, because you’re not going,” Kelley replied.

Carli raised an eyebrow in surprise. “What?” she asked.

“You’re not going,” Kelley repeated. 

The midfielder scoffed. “Kel, I’ll be fine,” she said. “You don’t need to worry.”

“Worry about what?” Hope asked as she entered the living room.

“Me taking the dogs for a short walk,” Carli answered.

“She’s not supposed to do anything stressful,” Kelley argued.

“Kelley, I’m not going for a run. Just a walk around the block,” Carli repeated. “I’m pretty sure I’m still allowed to walk around the neighborhood,” she said.

“Would it help if I went with her?” Hope asked.

Kelley shook her head. “You know what, forget it,” she muttered, agitated. “I need to get to the field for a meeting before the game. You guys do whatever, I’ll see you later tonight after I get back,” she said, grabbing her bag and walking towards the door. 

“Kelley!” Hope called.

“No, just don’t,” the defender said. Sighing, she added quietly, “I don’t want to say something I’ll regret. I’m going to go out with Ash, Ali, and Alex after the game. I love you, I’ll see you tonight.” She turned and walked out of the house.

“Should we go after her?” Carli asked.

Hope shook her head. “No, I think we all need to just take a step back. Let’s let her calm down and talk to her tomorrow,” she responded.

“I think that was about more than me taking the dogs for a walk,” the midfielder said.

“I know. I think what happened last month scared her more than she'd let on,” the keep replied.

“This is my fault,” Carli said sadly, sitting on the couch, putting her head in her hands.

“Hey, no it’s not,” Hope assured, wrapping the younger woman in her arms. “I think, that for how excited she is about the baby, Kelley is scared even more, especially because she’s gone with for soccer frequently,” she stated. 

“And you having to go to the hospital last month probably didn’t help settle her fears. I think we need to let her calm down, and tomorrow we’ll set up some sort of guidelines or something for things that we all agree are not too strenuous for you,” she finished. 

Carli sighed, leaning into the keeper. “Okay, you’re right,” she mumbled.

“Come on, let’s go get the game setup on my laptop,” Hope said, standing up.

“We’re not going to the game?” Carli asked confusedly, allowing Hope to help her up.

“Well, considering we haven’t publicly announced your pregnancy, I figured it’d be better to stay in until we do so, just because people might be able to figure it out,” Hope answered, laying a hand on the midfielder’s stomach, able to feel a slight bump. “Plus, we might distract Kelley if she sees us there and thinks about our argument the whole game,” she added.

Carli nodded, following the keeper upstairs. “Alright, that makes sense.”

“Come on,” Hope repeated. “Maybe Sky Blue can beat the Pride and take Ashlyn’s ego down a notch.”

* * *

 

A couple hours later, Hope and Carli were asleep when the keeper’s phone went off.

“Alex?” Hope asked confusedly, not quite awake, seeing the forward’s name on her screen. 

Hope waited as the younger woman responded too quickly to understand. 

“Alex, wait, slow down,” Hope said. “What’s wrong?” she asked, feeling the dread building.

Another response came, this time more slowly.

“Fuck, okay, we’ll be there in a bit,” Hope promised. She ended the call, then quickly turned to wake Carli.

“What?” the midfielder asked, feeling the keeper shaking her.

“Carli, I need you to get up and get dressed,” Hope said.

“What? Why?” Carli questioned, but started to get up.

“Alex just called,” the keeper said, panic rising. “There was an accident. Kelley’s hurt.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm such an asshole, making all of you wait this long for an update and then leaving it like this. Hopefully another chapter will be up in the next couple of days.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm separating the next parts into two chapters, so here's the first. I'm mostly putting this up to set some of you at ease while I write the next chapter. The second should be up tomorrow.
> 
> Still know nothing about medical stuff, so I'm making it up.

Hope and Carli frantically entered the ER waiting room, quickly finding Alex and Ashlyn sitting in the corner.

“Alex!” the keeper called, gaining the attention of the two Pride players. “What happened? Where’s Kelley?”  she asked, panicked, walking over to the two.

“And Ali?” Carli added, not seeing the right back.

“Some asshole ran a red light, hitting the driver’s side of the car,” Ashlyn muttered angrily.

“Kelley was driving us back to our hotel,” Alex quickly explained. “And, like Ash said, some guy ran the light. It hit Kelley’s side of the car.”

“Are they okay?” Hope asked worriedly. “Are you guys okay?”

The short-haired keeper shook her head. “Alex and I are fine, aside from a few cuts and shit,” she said, waving a bandaged hand. “They’re doing some tests on Ali right now, they think she’s got a pretty bad concussion.”

“They won’t tell us anything about Kelley,” Alex interjected. “We’re not family or an emergency contact for her,” she explained.

Hope sighed, running a hand through her hair. “Okay, I’m going to go see if I can find anything out,” she said. Placing a kiss to Carli’s temple, she whispered, “It’ll be okay,” and walked off to the nurses’ station.

Carli sat in one of the chairs. “Are you guys really okay?” she asked. 

The forward nodded. “Yeah, we got checked out already. Like Ash said, aside from some cuts and bruises, we’re fine,” she assured. “I’m more worried about Kelley,” she added.

“Did she seem okay after the game?” the midfielder questioned.

Ashlyn looked at her quizzically. “She seemed fine to me. Why?” 

Carli sighed. “We got into an argument just before she left,” she answered. “Hope and I weren’t at the game because we wanted to give her some space.”

“She did seem a little pissed when we were lining up,” Alex said. “Well, maybe pissed isn’t the right word, but she was a little quieter than usual tonight.”

“What did you guys fight about?” Ashlyn asked.

Before a Carli could answer, a doctor appeared. “Ms. Harris?” he asked.

Ashlyn quickly stood up. “Is Ali okay?” she questioned.

The doctor nodded. “I want to keep her under observation for a couple of hours, but if no complications arise, I’ll release her,” he answered. “She’s got a dislocated wrist, which will take a few weeks to heal, but other than that, she’s fine.”

The younger keeper sighed in relief. “Thank you,” she said gratefully. “Can I see her?” she asked.

The doctor nodded. “Follow me,” he said.

“I’ll be back in a bit. Let me know when you hear about Kelley,” Ashlyn said, earning nods from Carli and Alex, before following the doctor.

A few moments later Hope returned. “Okay, a doctor should be out soon with an update on Kelley,” she said. “Where’s Ash?” 

“She’s with Ali,” Alex answered. “Aside from a concussion and a dislocated wrist, Kriegs is fine and should be released in a few hours,” she said.

“That’s good,” the keeper said, sitting next to Carli. “I’m sorry, Alex. Are you really okay?” she asked, looking at the younger woman. “I know I’m worried about Kel, but I care about you, too.”

Alex nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine, I swear,” she promised. “It was mostly glass that hit Ashlyn and I. I have a pretty bad bruise from the seatbelt, but I’m okay.”

“Did you call Serv?” Carli asked.

Alex nodded. “Yeah, I called him after I called Hope,” she said. “I promised I’d call him once I knew anything about Kelley,” she added.

“Should we call Christie?” Hope asked.

The midfielder thought for a moment. “I think we should,” she said finally. “At least that way, she can talk to their coach and let him know what’s going on,” she reasoned.

The keeper nodded. “Alright, I’m going to go do that. I’ll be right back,” she said, then stood and left the waiting area.

“So, what were you guys fighting about?” Alex asked softly.

Carli sighed. “It was stupid,” she muttered. “Dr. Adams wants me to cut back on strenuous activities, including working out,” she explained. “And, earlier I was going to walk the dogs, and Kelley freaked out over it.”

“Why does she want you on restricted activity?” the forward asked.

“So that an incident like last month doesn’t happen again,” Carli answered. “Which is fine. But, Hope and I think that it scared Kel a lot more than she’s told us, and it showed tonight.”

Hope returned, cutting the conversation short. 

“Cap’s on her way,” she said, taking her seat next to the midfielder. “I told her not to worry about it since we didn’t know anything yet, but it’s Christie, there’s no arguing with her,” she added.

“Of course,” Carli said, leaning into the keeper. “Kelley’s like her oldest child, of course she’s going to come,” she joked.

Hope laughed slightly. “I just wish I something to tell her, I don’t know what’s taking them so long,” she mumbled.

“Hey, looks like you might be about to find out,” Alex said, pointing behind the two older women.

A doctor approached them, asking, “Family of Kelley O’Hara?”

Hope and Carli stood.

“Is she okay?” the keeper asked.

“Should we go talk in private?” he asked, motioning to where Alex was sitting.

Carli shook her head. “She’s fine,” she said.

The doctor nodded. “Okay. Kelley’s lucky. I’ve seen a lot of patients come in with a worse injuries than she has,” he started. “That being said, she does have a pretty severe concussion, and hasn’t regained consciousness yet. We’re going to keep a close eye on her through the night, but the MRI doesn’t indicate any hemorrhaging, so I’m optimistic she’ll wake up soon,” he continued.

“Is there anything else?” Carli asked.

The doctor nodded. “She’s got a dislocated collarbone, and pretty badly bruised ribs. They’re not fractured, so we’re not worried about any complications from that. Part of the reason she hasn’t woken up yet could be the pain meds she’s on for them,” he answered. “Once she does wake up, she’ll probably in and out for the night.”

“Can we see her?” Hope asked.

“Of course. Follow me.”

The doctor led the three to the defender’s room.

“She’s in there. If you need anything, ask for Dr. Drake,” he said, then left the three standing in the hall.

“I’m going to go check on Ali and Ash,” Alex said. “I’ll let you guys go in alone,” she said, walking away.

“Ready to go see our girl?” Carli asked Hope quietly.

The keeper nodded. “I swear, she’s never leaving the house pissed off again,” she said seriously. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a review if you'd like!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm the worst at keeping promises of when I'm putting up updates. There should be another up soon.

Walking into the room, Hope wanted to cry at the sight of Kelley laying in the hospital bed, her arm in sling and multiple wires and IVs attached to her. Taking a quick look at Carli, she noticed the midfielder was crying.

“You okay, Car?” she asked quietly.

Carli nodded. “It’s the fucking hormones,” she muttered. “Kelley’s not allowed to leave the house pissed off at us, I’m not doing this again,” she said.

The older woman nodded in agreement. “I know.” She walked to the side of the bed, grabbing Kelley’s free hand. “Come on, Kel,” she said quietly. “You’ve made Carli an emotional mess over there, you need to wake up now,” she ordered softly.

“I told you, it’s the fucking pregnancy hormones,” the midfielder responded, sending the keeper a glare.

“Sorry,” came a mumbled apology. 

The two older women looked at the defender, seeing her slowly opening her eyes, making them sigh in relief.

Hope gently pressed a kiss to the younger woman’s temple. “God, you scared us, Kel,” she whispered.

“I’m sorry,” Kelley slurred. “I didn’t mean to.”

“We know,” Carli said, sitting on the edge of the bed. “We know, but you still did. But you’re okay, that’s the most important thing,” she stated.

The defender frowned. “What about Alex, Ash, and Ali?” she asked worriedly. “Are they okay?” she questioned, quickly becoming agitated, trying to sit up. “They were with me, are they hurt?” 

“Kel, calm down,” Hope commanded gently, laying a hand on the younger woman’s shoulder, forcing her to lay back down. “They’re okay,” she answered. “Ali has a concussion and a dislocated wrist, but she’ll be fine. They’re all fine,” she assured.

“You took the worst of it,” the midfielder added. “Dislocated collar bone, bruised ribs, and a concussion. You’re going to be out for a while,” she explained apologetically.

Kelley shook her head, sighing. “This is my fault,” she mumbled.

“Hey, no, it’s not,” Carli reprimanded. “Kelley, you couldn’t have possibly predicted some idiot running a red light,” she argued.

“No, but now they’re not going to be able to play,” the younger woman countered.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Hope promised. “They’re not upset with you. At the other driver, yeah. But not at you,” she assured.

“They’re mostly worried about you, Kel,” Carli said. 

“Yeah. Actually, I’m going to go get a doctor and then let the three of them know you’re awake,” Hope said, standing up. “I’ll be right back,” she promised, leaving the room.

“I’m sorry,” Kelley admitted tiredly.

“For what?” Carli asked, moving to sit in the chair Hope had vacated, grabbing the smaller woman’s hand.

“For saying you couldn’t walk the dogs earlier,” the defender explained. “I was dumb for saying that,” she said.

“Hey, it’s okay,” the midfielder assured. “We ended up not taking the dogs out anyway. Hope and I also decided we’re going to work out what isn’t considered too strenuous for me to though, so it’ll things we all agree on,” she stated.

“I still shouldn’t have stormed out of the house though,” Kelley said. “Cap yelled at me for being dumb, though,” she admitted sheepishly.

“Oh yeah?”

“Well, she didn’t flat out call me dumb, but that’s what she meant,” the defender replied. “She said I was overreacting, and that I needed to apologize to you, which I figured out as soon I walked out the door,” she continued. “I am sorry,” she finished quietly.

Carli smiled. “It’s okay,” she promised. “I know that having to go to the ER last month scared you, and you’re just trying to make sure the baby and I stay healthy,” she said.

“I don’t want to lose either of you,” Kelley said. “And being gone most of the time makes me worry about you even more,” she explained.

The older woman nodded. “I know. But Kel, I’m okay, and the baby’s okay,” she promised. “The restricted activity is just a precaution. Otherwise I’m fine.”

“I know,” the younger woman said, sighing. “I know. I promise to try not to be as worried about what you do in the future.”

Carli laughed. “I can live with that,” she agreed.

Hope returned with a doctor, interrupting the conversation.

“I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to ask that you both wait outside,” Dr. Drake informed them.

Hope and Carli nodded, walking out of the room.

“At least she’s awake,” the keeper said in relief.

Carli nodded. “Yeah,” she agreed. “Oh, she pretty much admitted to being more scared of last month’s incident than she’s said, by the way,” she told the keeper. “I think we need to have a longer discussion, but that can wait until she gets released.”

Hope nodded. “Yeah, I think that’s for the best.”

Alex appeared in the hall, walking over to them. “Is Kelley okay?”

“She’s getting checked out by a doctor, but I think so,” Carli answered. “She’s awake, though I’m not sure for how much longer.”

“She did seem pretty tired when I came back,” Hope remarked.

“That would be from the pain medication,” Dr. Drake said, stepping out into the hall. “Overall, Kelley seems to be okay, but with the concussion, we’re going to keep a close eye on her for the rest of the night, just in case.”

“But she’ll be able to return to playing in a few weeks?” Hope asked.

Dr. Drake nodded. “I’d say four weeks or so, but it just depends on how fast her body heals,” he answered. “But as long as she rests and takes it easy, I don’t see any reason she can’t get back to playing.”

Alex laughed. “She’s going to hate not being able to do much for a month,” she said.

“Well, for the first week or so there won’t be much she can do,” the doctor said before his pager went off. “Excuse me, I have another patient to check on. Kelley will probably be in and out of sleep for the rest of the night, but I won’t restrict the amount of visitors in the room as long as it doesn’t create any problems,” he said before walking off.

“I’m going to go update Ashlyn and Ali,” Alex said. “I think Kriegs is being released soon,” she told the older women.

“That’s good,” Hope replied. Her phone went off, and she took it out of her pocket, reading the screen. “Cap’s on her way,” she said to no one in particular, before typing out a reply. “I tried telling her not to come, but she wouldn’t listen.”

“That’s because Kelley’s basically another one of her kids,” Ashlyn said as she and Ali approached them.

“You okay, Krieger?” Hope asked concernedly.

The right back nodded. “Yeah, just pissed that some asshole did this,” she replied. “Alex said Kelley was awake?” 

Carli nodded. “Well, she was. She might have fallen asleep,” she said. “But if you go in there, try not to look too pissed. She’s blaming herself for you guys getting hurt,” she explained.

“It’s not her fault,” the three immediately replied.

“No, but she’s still upset about it,” Hope responded. 

“Well, we’ll make sure she knows it’s not,” the younger keeper promised.

“Alright, well, you guys can go in,” the midfielder said, motioning to towards the door.

The three Pride players followed Hope and Carli into the room.

Hope smiled at the sight of Kelley asleep. “I figured she wouldn’t be awake,” she said quietly, sitting on the edge of the bed, while Carli sat on the other side.

“She’ll be able to get back to playing right?” Ali asked as Ashlyn pulled her into her lap in one of the chairs.

It’ll be a few weeks,” Carli answered.

“She dislocated her collarbone, and she’s got pretty badly bruised ribs, plus a concussion,” Hope explained. “Luckily her ribs aren’t fractured or anything, so she’ll be back sooner than if they were fractured.”

Ashlyn sighed. “That sucks,” she said. “At least the rest can play in a week or so.”

“Well, I don’t know about myself, but you and Alex, yeah,” Ali agreed.

“It’s gotta be something about the girlfriend of a keeper that makes you more prone to getting a concussion,” the short-haired woman joked, earning a light slap from her girlfriend. “Rude,” she huffed. Looking at Hope and Carli, she asked, “So, what were you guys arguing about earlier?”

The older keeper sighed. “It was stupid,” she muttered.

“I’m on restricted activity to prevent an incident like last month,” Carli began. “And I went to take the dogs out earlier, and Kelley went into overprotective mode,” she explained. “It ended with her storming out of the house.”

“Is she not excited about the baby?” Ali asked.

“No, she is,” Hope answered. “But ever since Carli had to go to the hospital, she’s been a little hesitant about letting Carli do things alone,” she explained. 

“Oh so it’s not you being the overprotective, worried girlfriend this time?” Ashlyn asked, sending the older woman a smirk.

“Fuck you, Harris,” Hope muttered.

“Ali wouldn’t like that,” Kelley mumbled, slowly waking up.

The older right back blushed as Ashlyn laughed. “Thanks, Kel,” she said sarcastically, shaking her head. “How’re you feeling?”

“Tired, and really fucking sore,” the smaller woman replied. “Are you guys okay?”

“We’re fine,” Alex assured. “It wasn’t your fault, either.”

“Yeah, come on, you couldn’t have known that was going to happen,” Ashlyn reasoned.

Kelley sighed. “Okay,” she conceded, too tired to argue.

“So, do you guys have any ultrasound pictures?” the forward asked curiously.

Hope nodded, pulling one out. “Yeah, here,” she said, handing it to the younger woman.

Alex took it, letting her Pride teammates also look.

“Why does that part look like a dinosaur?” Ashlyn questioned, pointing to at the picture, receiving another slap from her girlfriend. “Babe, stop that,” she whined.

“That’s the baby’s spine, dipshit,” Hope replied.

“Hey, how was I supposed to know that?” the younger woman asked, offended.

“I swear, Ashlyn Harris, if you say anything like that when we have a baby, you’re never get sex again,” Ali warned.

“What? No, that’s not fair,” the keeper whined.

“I told you guys having a baby was weird,” Kelley said. “Now do you believe me?”

“Yeah,” Ashlyn replied. “Do you guys know the sex?” she asked.

“No, the baby wasn’t in a good position, and we think we might want to wait until they’re born,” Carli explained.

A knock on the door interrupted them, and Christie entered the room.

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t realize you all were in here,” she apologized.

“No, it’s okay,” Kelley said.

“How are you?” the Sky Blue captain asked. “All of you,” she added, looking towards the Pride players.

“We’re fine,” Ashlyn replied, motioning to the three of them. “It’s Kelley you gotta worry about, her being so injury prone and all,” she teased.

“Jerk,” Kelley huffed. “I’m fine, just tired and sore,” she answered. “And I can’t move my left arm at all, which sucks,” she said, pouting.

“She also has a concussion and bruised ribs, so she’ll be out for a few weeks,” Hope added.

“Well, rest up, kid, we need you back healthy,” Christie said.

“Ugh, this sucks,” Kelley mumbled. “I won’t be able to do anything for weeks,” she complained.

“Hey, you’ll get back,” Christie stated. “Just take it easy until you get cleared. You don’t want to make you injuries worse and prolong your return, do you?” she asked.

Kelley sighed. “No,” she answered. “Fine, I’ll take it easy,” she agreed reluctantly.

The captain nodded. “Good. And if you give those two,” she pointed to Hope and Carli, “any problems, I’ll make you do the beep test every practice,” she warned.

Kelley’s eyes widened at the threat. “No, uh uh, no problems from me,” she quickly replied.

Christie laughed. “Good.” Turning to the visiting players she asked, “Do you guys need a ride back to your hotel?”

“If you don’t mind,” Alex replied.

“Otherwise we can call an Uber or something,” Ali added.

The older defender shook her head. “No, it’s not a problem,” she assured. She looked back at Kelley. “Rest up, we need you back at one hundred percent.”

The younger defender nodded. “I will, promise,” she stated.

Christie nodded, then led the trio of Pride players out of the room.

Kelley sighed tiredly, struggling to keep her eyes open.

“Go to sleep, Kel,” Hope ordered softly. 

“‘M not tired,” the younger woman mumbled, losing the fight against sleep.

“Kelley, sleep. We’ll be here when you wake up,” Carli promised.

“Fine,” Kelley sighed. “Love you guys,” she said, quickly falling back asleep.

“It’s been one hell of a day, hasn’t it?” Hope asked quietly.

“Yeah,” Carli agreed. “Let’s not repeat it anytime soon, okay?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a review if you'd like!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all had a happy holiday! 
> 
> This is a little later than I planned, but writer's block sucks. Not much really happens but the story will progress more in the next couple of chapters (hopefully).

A few days later, Kelley was released from the hospital, and the three had just gotten home.

“Do you want to go up to the bedroom?” Hope asked as she helped the younger woman into the house.

Kelley shook her head. “No, I just want to lay on the couch and watch a movie or something,” she answered. “Maybe that’ll help stop everything from hurting so fucking much,” she mumbled, trying not to cry.

“Kel, you were in a car accident a few days ago, it’s going to hurt for a while,” she pointed out gently.

“It sucks,” the defender said. “It hurts to do anything, even just breathing hurts,” she admitted quietly.

“Okay, so we’re going to get you settled on the couch for now,” Hope said, gently guiding the smaller woman to the couch, helping her sit. “I’ll be right back,” she said, leaving the room.

The midfielder sat next to Kelley. “Are you okay?” she asked quietly.

“No,” the defender answered honestly, leaning into her girlfriend. “Everything hurts and I can’t get comfortable,” she explained.

“Here,” Hope said, walking back into the room with a glass of water in her hands. “This should help.” She handed the glass and two pills to the younger woman before sitting next to the midfielder.

Kelley took the pills, taking a sip of water. “I just want to sit here but it hurts,” she sighed.

“Okay, come here,” the keeper said, standing up. She gently pulled the younger woman up before sitting next to Carli again, slowly pulling Kelley onto her, helping the smaller woman stretch out across the couch. “Better?” she asked.

The defender exhaled in relief. “Yeah,” she answered. “This sucks,” she mumbled.

“We know, but hopefully you won’t be in so much pain in a few days,” Carli replied softly. “You just have to deal with it for now.”

“I know,” Kelley sighed. “I think I’m more pissed about my arm though,” she added, motioning to her left arm in its sling. “This is really uncomfortable and I hate that I can’t move it,” she whined.

“I know it sucks, Kel,” Hope sympathized. “But there’s nothing we can do about it. Hopefully you’ll be able to get it off in a few days.”

The smaller woman nodded, wiping away a few stray tears that had fallen. She laid a hand on the midfielder’s stomach, feeling a slight bump. “When are we going to make a public announcement?” she asked.

“Well, I guess any time in the near future would be a good idea,” Carli answered. “You know, before someone figures it out and blasts it on social media before we get the chance to,” she explained.

Hope looked at them seriously. “You know by doing this, we’re basically confirming we’re all in a relationship,” she stated. “Are you guys prepared to deal with comments that probably won’t be positive all the time?” she questioned.

The midfielder shrugged. “We’ve made it this far,” she reasoned. “And it’s not like people didn’t know,” she pointed out.

“Yeah, but now we’re adding a baby,” the keeper said.

“And we’ll take it like we did before,” Carli said. “I’ve never cared what anyone else thought about our relationship-”

“Except when we first got together after the 2008 Olympics,” Hope muttered, looking away sheepishly when the midfielder glared at her.

Carli rolled her eyes, but Kelley looked at them inquisitively. “You know, you guys have never told me the story behind how you got together,” she said.

“It’s not important right now,” Carli said. “But, I don’t care what others think of our relationship. I love you both and no one else gets to tell me I can’t,” she stated profusely.

Hope smiled, pulling the midfielder into a kiss. “You know I love you too,” she replied quietly. “And you, Kel,” she said, laughing at the pouting defender.

“You better, otherwise I’m leaving,” Kelley threatened, but couldn’t keep a smirk from breaking through.

“You wouldn’t be able to go a week without us,” Carli argued.

“Could too!” the younger woman yelled indignantly. 

“You’re sure about that?” the keeper teased. 

The defender nodded. “Yeah,” she replied. A few moments passed before she sighed. “Fine, no, I couldn’t,” she begrudgingly admitted. “The sex is too good to pass up,” she explained with a smirk.

Hope rolled her eyes. “Sure, that’s the only reason,” she said.

“I’m kidding,” Kelley assured. “I love you guys, too.”

“Good, because if you weren’t I don’t think you were ever getting sex again,” Carli stated.

“What? Come on! I was kidding!” the defender cried.

The midfielder shrugged. “Well, you better be careful then,” she said.

“Not fair,” Kelley grumbled.

Hope laughed, watching her girlfriends. “Well, it doesn’t matter at the moment anyways because I don’t think there’s much you can do at the moment,” she reasoned, playing with the strap of the sling around the younger woman’s arm.

The defender sighed in frustration. “This fucking sucks,” she grumbled.

“Hey, I’m pretty sure at some point Carli won’t be able to get enough sex, so there’s always that to look forward to,” the older woman pointed out.

“You guys just wanted me to get pregnant for the sex, didn’t you?” Carli jokingly asked, feigning offense.

“What? No!” Kelley assured quickly.

The midfielder laughed. “Relax, Kel, I’m kidding,” she said.

“But, to answer your original question, Kelley,” Hope said, returning to the subject, “we can make an announcement whenever, really.” 

Kelley nodded. “Okay,” she said, leaning into the keeper. “So we’re just going to go on Twitter or whatever and say ‘we’re having a baby’? Or are we actually going to make a formal statement?”

“I think we need to do something more than say we’re having a baby,” Hope answered. “People are still wondering why Carli hasn’t been on the last couple of rosters.”

“And it probably doesn’t help Jill and the federation hasn’t said anything,” the midfielder added. “Let’s just think on it overnight, we don’t have to say anything right now.”

“Okay,” the defender said with a nod, sleepily curling further into the keeper.

“Tired?” Hope asked quietly.

“Yeah,” Kelley responded easily. “I think the meds have finally started to work,” she mumbled.

“Sleep, Kel,” Carli ordered softly. “We’ll talk about everything later tonight.”

Kelley didn’t reply, her breathing evening out quickly as she fell asleep.

“Well, the next week or so should be interesting,” Hope mused. “With both of you having to take it easy, we’ll see how that plays out.”

The midfielder rolled her eyes. “It won’t be that bad,” she retorted.

“Oh, I’m not worried about you,” the keeper replied. “Kelley’s going to be a pain in the ass once she’s not hurting if she’s not cleared to play.”

Carli groaned, leaning onto Hope’s shoulder. “This is going to be a long week,” she said with a sigh.

“We’ll get through it,” the keeper assured.

“We always do,” the midfielder replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a review if you'd like! I love getting feedback, so if there's something you want to see or anything, leave it in the comments!
> 
> There might be a one-shot in the future about the part of Hope and Carli getting together, in case any of you were wondering. I'm not sure when I'll get that out, but I think it'll be a separate fic.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's still 2016 where I'm at for another 25 minutes, so this is the last update of 2016. Happy New Year's to all of you! Hopefully 2017 is not anything like 2016.
> 
> I'm still making up medical stuff, but a lot of the pregnancy stuff for this chapter I did look up, so I hope it's somewhat accurate. The ending probably sucks and is super cringy to read, but I don't do smut so I was just hoping to allude to it, lol.
> 
> Hope you like the chapter, I didn't mean for it to be as long as it was.

Hope spotted Kelley trying to sneak out the front door, dogs in tow, as she walked down the stairs. “Kel, what are you doing?” she asked suspiciously.

Kelley sighed, knowing she’d been caught. “It’s been two weeks, I’m sick of being stuck in the house,” she replied. “I just wanted to take the dogs out for a short walk.”

The older woman raised an eyebrow in question. “I don’t think so,” she said. “And, before you argue,” she continued before the defender could speak, “this is the exact same argument we had the night of the car accident. Kel, you don’t need to rush your recovery,” she scolded gently.

The younger woman sighed in frustration. “I know, but I feel okay, and I’m sick of just laying around not doing anything,” she countered.

“Just because you feel okay doesn’t mean you’re fully recovered,” Hope replied easily. “As you pointed out, it’s been two weeks. I don’t think that’s enough time for your body to have healed like it needs to, as much as you want it to be.”

“Come on,” Kelley pleaded. “Just around the block, I need to do _something_.”

The keeper shook her head, taking the leashes from her girlfriend and letting the dogs loose. “Sorry, Kel, not today,” she said apologetically. “And did you really think you were going to walk _three_ dogs with one arm?” she asked slightly amused, gently tugging on the strap of the defender’s sling.

“Okay, that part I didn’t think through all the way,” Kelley admitted sheepishly.

Hope rolled her eyes. “Of course you didn’t,” she muttered. She wrapped her arms around the smaller woman, bringing her into a kiss. “Look, you have a doctor’s appointment in a couple of days to see how your recovery’s going,” she said, pulling away. “If you get the okay, we’ll ask about light workouts you can do to start getting ready to get back to playing, alright?” she asked.

“Fine,” the younger woman replied petulantly.

Hope nodded. “Good,” she said. “Now, if you really want to do something to get out of the house, go tell Carli we’re going to the store to get stuff for dinner tonight,” she stated.

Kelley nodded, then ran upstairs. When she disappeared, Hope let out an exasperated groan.

“This is going to be an interesting two days,” she mumbled.

* * *

 

An hour and a half later, the two returned, walking inside with groceries in hand. Kelley stopped when she saw Carli sitting on the couch, an odd look on her face.

“Car, you okay?” she asked hesitantly, knowing that the midfielder’s emotions were a little unpredictable since the accident (“It’s the fucking hormones,” is the older woman’s reasoning).

Carli looked up, pulled out of her thoughts. “What? Yeah, I’m fine,” she answered. “It’s just, I think I felt the baby move,” she said quietly, a little unsure.

Kelley looked at her, eyes widened in surprise. “Really?” she asked, moving to sit next to her girlfriend.

The midfielder nodded. “Yeah, I mean, I could be wrong,” she said. “But I think it moved.”

“What’s up?” Hope asked as she came in from putting the groceries away.

“Carli thinks she felt the baby move,” Kelley replied.

“Seriously?” the keeper asked.

“Yeah, but I could’ve been wrong,” Carli repeated.

Hope nodded. “Okay, well, you have an appointment with Dr. Adams the same day as Kelley has one for herself, we can ask her then if it’s possible that’s what it is,” she said.

“Okay,” the midfielder agreed.

“What did it feel like?” Kelley asked curiously.

Carli shrugged, unsure of how to explain. “I don’t know, it felt like I was nervous about something,” she stated. “Which I thought was weird because there’s not really anything to be nervous about.”

“Well, besides having a baby for the first time,” Kelley mumbled, earning a glare from the keeper. “Sorry,” she apologized sheepishly.

“It’s possible it was the baby moving,” Hope interjected. “We can ask Dr. Adams when you see her to be sure,” she promised.

“Okay,” Carli agreed. “And maybe after that we can actually reveal the pregnancy publicly, since we didn’t do that the other night,” she suggested.

“Just be prepared to deal with McCaffery harassing you on social media,” Kelley warned.

“Maybe I’ll just block her,” the midfielder joked.

“No, because then we’ll have to deal with her,” Hope argued.

“I know, I know, I’m not going to do that,” Carli assured. “I doubt she’ll be that bad anyways. It’s the ones arguing about who gets to be godmother you have to worry about,” she said.

“I still think we should make Becky and Alyssa godparents,” Kelley replied.

“That could work,” the keeper agreed.

“Well, let’s just not think about that right now,” Carli interrupted. “I don’t want to start a massive argument at the moment.”

* * *

 

“How are you feeling today?” Dr. Adams asked as she set up the ultrasound equipment.

“Tired and everything kind of hurts,” Carli answered.

“That’s normal at this stage of your pregnancy,” the doctor assured. “Expect to see some swelling around your ankles or feet, but don’t panic, it’s perfectly normal,” she explained.

“That’s really good to know,” the midfielder said quietly.

Dr. Adams nodded. “It tends to scare a lot of new parents, but it’s all part of pregnancy. Now, let’s have a look at your baby,” she said, turning on the machine. “Are you wanting to find out the sex?” she questioned.

Carli looked to her girlfriends for an answer.

“I still kind of want to wait until the baby is born,” Kelley admitted. “But if you guys want to find out, that’s okay.”

“I think waiting is okay,” Hope agreed. “But it’s up to you, Car,” she added.

The midfielder shook her head. “No, I think we should wait,” she said.

“Sounds good,” the doctor agreed. Turning the screen around, she explained, “So, the baby has some new developments.”

Carli smiled, looking at the screen. “Does it finally look like a baby now, Kel?” she teased.

The defender stuck her tongue out, causing her girlfriends to laugh.

“Well, they’re beginning to put on fat, so even though they’re a tiny little thing still, they’ll be growing more in the upcoming weeks,” Dr. Adams stated. “Their body is fully developed at this point, so you can see the little hands and feet,” she added, pointing out each limb on the screen.

“Is that hair on it’s head?” Kelley asked, fascinated.

“Yep, your baby is beginning to sprout some hair,” the doctor confirmed. “While it looks black here in the image, that could change when they’re born,” she added. “Do you have any questions?” she asked.

“Is it possible to feel movement at this point?” Carli questioned.

“Absolutely,” the doctor answered. “Movement can be felt anywhere between 20 and 25 weeks, though in first time pregnancies it’s usually towards the later dates, but it’s not uncommon to feel it before then,” she explained. “It’ll be a little movement occasionally at the moment, but as the pregnancy continues, it’ll get stronger and they might move as much as thirty times an hour.”

“When does that start?” Hope asked.

“Usually towards the end of the second trimester, start of the third.”

Carli groaned. “Awesome, that’s only a few weeks away,” she muttered.

“Yeah, but it’s _our baby_ ,” Kelley said. “It’ll be worth it.”

“You can say that because you’re not the one carrying the baby,” the midfielder argued.

The younger woman shrugged. “You volunteered to have the first one,” she pointed out.

Carl sighed in defeat. “Fair point.”

“So everything looks good,” Dr. Adams stated. “Just continue what you’re doing, and make sure not to do anything too stressful,” she said. “That doesn’t mean  you can’t do _anything_ , but I wouldn’t suggest doing full workouts or running a marathon.”

“But walking around the house or even the neighborhoods with our dogs is okay, right?” Carli asked for clarification.

“That’s fine,” the doctor confirmed. “Though, if you do walk your dogs, be careful. A fall could create some complications,” she warned. “But, as long as you're careful, it’s fine.”

Carli and Hope looked at Kelley knowingly. “Okay, fine, you were right,” she admitted reluctantly. “I’m not going to stop you next time, as long as you let one of go with you.”

“I take it this was a topic of discussion at some point?” Dr. Adams asked.

“Yes, and they were right and I should have just listened to them,” the defender grumbled, fiddling with the sling around her arm.

The doctor laughed. “Well, like I said, it’s not complete bed rest. Just don’t do anything to over do it, and there won’t be any problems,” she said.

“I won’t,” Carli replied.

“Alright, then I think that’s it for today,” Dr. Adams concluded. “Just continue doing what you’re doing, and I’ll see you in a few weeks.”

* * *

 

About an hour later, the three were sitting in a different doctor’s office, waiting on Kelley’s results.

“Alright, looking at the results and from preliminary tests,” an older woman who identified herself as Dr. Amanda Jones earlier said as she walked back into the room, “Your collarbone is on track for full recovery, and I will agree to allowing you to remove the sling today,” she said.

Kelley sighed in relief. “Finally, I’ll be able to move my arm again,” she mumbled.

“However, I won’t sign off on full practice for at least another week,” the doctor continued. “While you passed concussion protocols, I want you to rest at least another week to give your ribs more time to heal,” she explained.

“Dammit,” the defender swore. “They don’t even hurt that bad anymore,” she said.

“No, but it’s a precaution so you don’t make them worse,” Dr. Jones. “With the injury to your ribs, you could have trouble breathing running at this point, and I’m not taking that kind of risk, and I’d doubt your coaching staff would let you, either,” she explained.

“Okay,” Kelley relented, sighing in defeat. “Does this mean I can’t do any light workouts for another week?” she asked.

“I’m going to say no to cardio workouts, but light strength training to help your arm I’ll consent to,” the doctor replied.

“Okay,” Kelley said with a nod.

“Give it another week, and we’ll re-evaluate,” Dr. Jones said. “Depending on how things look, I might agree to light training sessions, and then we’ll see about full contact practices.”

The defender nodded, and the three thanked the doctor and went to set up another appointment for the following week before heading home.

* * *

 

“Okay, so now that we’ve got some questions answered,” Hope began as they walked into the house, “how do we want to the world you’re pregnant?”

Carli shrugged. “I don’t know. I figured we’d go with the ‘we’re having a baby’ announcement,” she replied.

“We could,” Hope said.

“Why don’t we each make a post,” Kelley suggested. “Hope and I could ask for baby names or something, and you make the official announcement.”

The two older women thought about it for a few moments.

“That sounds like a pretty good idea,” the keeper said.

“Yeah, that could work,” the midfielder agreed.

“So, do we want to do that tonight then?” Kelley asked.

“Yeah, I think the sooner we do it the better,” Carli replied. “One, so I don’t have to try to hide the fact that I’m pregnant,” she said. “And so the other players don’t get continue getting questions about why I’m not playing this year.”

“Yeah, I’m sure they’ll be happy not to have to deal with that,” Hope agreed.

“Okay, so you guys get started on lunch and I will start thinking of what to post,” Kelley said.

“And why aren’t you helping?” the keeper questioned.

The defender huffed. “Fine, I’ll help, too,” she relented, walking into the kitchen.

“Why do we put up with her?” Carli jokingly asked.

Hope rolled her eyes. “Because we love her,” she replied. “Though, I’m not sure how that happened.”

* * *

 

_Twitter posts_

@kohara19: **anyone know any good baby names? Boy or girl please, asking for a friend**

 _@hopesolo:_ **beginning to think of ideas for a nursery, i’m open to suggestions**

 _@CarliLloyd:_ **there’s going to be a new us soccer star in 2017. Excited for the new addition to the family! About 3 months to go!**

* * *

 

“How long do you think it’ll be before notifications come pouring in?” Kelley asked as she set her phone on the side table later that night as three were laying in bed.

“Not long. I’ll give it five minutes,” Carli replied.

Hope shrugged. “I don’t know, you’d be surprised,” she said. “Though, I’d prefer to be doing something else tonight instead of waiting for twitter notifications,” she stated.

“Finally,” the midfielder groaned. “Sorry, Kel, but next time you get hurt, I’m not waiting for you to have sex,” she said.

The defender pouted. “That’s not fair, it wasn’t my fault!” she cried.

“I don’t care. I don’t think I can do this long without sex again,” Carli said.

Kelley rolled her eyes. “We’ve got plenty of time to make up for it tonight,” she countered, moving to straddle the older woman.

They didn’t come out of the bedroom for hours after that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a review if you'd like! I won't be offended if you hated the end scene, it is honestly not my best piece of work. See you all in the next update.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't even know if anyone's still reading this, but here's another update. I'm not sure how many more chapters this is gonna be, but I'm hoping it won't exceed thirty or so chapters, though it may be less than that.

The next morning, Kelley’s phone went off for what was probably the hundredth time (not really, but Kelley liked to be dramatic). Groaning, the defender reluctantly grabbed her phone and climbed off of Hope, leaving the room.

Looking at the caller ID, she sighed. “This better be fucking good, Harris,” she warned, answering the call.

“Wow, someone woke up on the wrong side of their bed,” the keeper retorted. “Or, the wrong side of their girlfriends, in your case,” she amended. “Do the three of you even fit in one bed?”

“Just get to the point,” Kelley demanded.

“Oh my god, you guys were totally having sex,” Ashlyn said through a laugh. “No wonder you’re all pissed off, it’s been what, like three weeks since you last got laid?” she teased.

“Ashlyn Harris, I’m going to kick your ass the next time I see you if you don’t tell me why you’re calling at seven am.”

“Okay, okay,” the Pride keeper relented. “Just give me one thing: is the sex wild?” she questioned seriously.

The defender groaned, putting her face in her hand. “You’re dead,” she muttered.

“For fuck’s sakes, Ashlyn,” Kelley heard Ali say in the background. “Give me the damn phone.”

“Aww why?” the keeper whined. “Come on, I can’t tease her like this in person,” she complained.

There was shuffling from the other end of the line, then Ali said, “Sorry about that, Kel. Someone-” Kelley could tell the pointed tone was not directed at her, "-needs to learn to use a filter.”

“It’s fine,” Kelley replied. “I just want to know what’s so important Ash felt the need to call like thirty times before eight.”

The Pride defender sighed, muttering something to her girlfriend. “It could have waited,” she said. “But she’s impatient and decided now would be a good time. Anyways, it basically comes down to those posts you guys made last night,” she explained knowingly. “And how, because you guys went off the grid for the night-”

“Having wild se- OW!” Ashlyn yelped in the background.

“The rest of us have been getting tweets and comments directed towards us asking what we know,” the older right back continued. “So, if you guys could make like an actual statement sometime soon, it would be greatly appreciated.”

“Shit, sorry, Kriegs,” Kelley said apologetically. “We didn’t think about that part.”

“It’s fine, but none of us want to say anything because it’s your personal life,” Ali replied.

“Thanks,” the younger woman replied appreciatively. “I’ll talk to Hope and Carli and we’ll get it taken care of,” she promised.

“Okay, sounds good,” Ali replied. “And sorry for the early call, I’ll make sure Ash doesn’t do that again.”

“That’s not fair! It’s not my fault they literally have sex the entire night,” the keeper whined.

“For fuck’s sake,” Ali swore.

“Oh my god, Ashlyn, we weren’t even doing anything,” Kelley groaned. “We were sleeping, for fuck’s sake,” she muttered.

“Sure, Kel,” Ashlyn replied, unconvinced.

“Okay, I’m going to go before you hear me kill her,” Ali said. “Thanks, Kelley. We’ll see you in camp in a few weeks,” she said before hanging up.

The defender groaned, trudging back into the bedroom.

“Where’d you go?” Hope asked sleepily as the smaller woman crawled on top of her again.

“Ashlyn called,” Kelley replied, moving into a more comfortable position. “After joking about our sex life and Ali taking the phone, Kriegs told me the rest of the team has been getting questions about our reveal, since we turned off our notifications,” she explained.

The older woman nodded. “So they want us to make a more official statement?” she questioned.

“Yeah, sometime in the next day or so,” the younger woman confirmed. She looked at her phone, looking over the texts and calls she had missed during the last few hours. “Oh, fuck,” she swore.

“What?” Hope asked.

“So, I may or may not have forgotten to tell my mom we were trying to have a baby,” Kelley said sheepishly. “And now I have multiple texts saying I need to call her before she flies out here to kill me,” she finished.

“Kelley!” Hope yelled incredulously. “You didn’t tell your parents?”

“I”m sorry!” the defender exclaimed. “With everything that happened it kind of slipped my mind!”

“How do you forget something important like that?” Carli asked, turning over to face the two.

“I’m sorry! I’ll go call her now,” Kelley said, crawling out of bed again.

Hope turned to the midfielder after Kelley left. “Have you tried telling your parents?” she asked quietly.

Carli sighed. “I did, but I haven’t heard back from them,” she replied sadly. “At this point I’m not holding my breath for them to call,” she mumbled.

The older woman moved closer, wrapping Carli in her arms. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean to make you upset,” she said apologetically.

The midfielder shook her head. “It’s not your fault,” she assured. “They haven’t exactly been supportive of our relationship, so I’m not surprised,” she explained quietly.

“But it still hurts,” Hope stated knowingly.

Carli nodded. “It still hurts.”

“Come on,” the keeper said, getting out of bed. “While Kelley talks to her parents to make sure she stays unharmed, let’s go get breakfast ready,” she said.

The younger woman nodded. “I can’t believe she forgot to tell her family,” she said exasperatedly. “How much do you want to bet she forgot to tell them about the accident?”

“Oh, she did,” Hope replied. “I called them a few days after to make sure they knew,” she explained.

Carli shook her head. “How has she made this far?” she asked sarcastically.

Hope laughed. “We keep her line,” she answered. “Without us, I don’t think she’d last a week.”

* * *

 

Ten minutes later, the two joined Kelley in the kitchen as the younger woman was finishing up her phone call.

“Yeah, mom, I promise to keep you updated,” the defender said. “And I will send you some later, I swear.” She was silent as she listened to a reply. “Yes, I will talk to them about that. Okay, I love you too, and I will call you later,” she promised, hanging up.

“So, how much longer do you have to live?” Carli teased as she sat next to the smaller woman.

Kelley stuck her tongue out. “You’re so funny,” she retorted. “I have to send her some of the ultrasound pictures, and keep her updated on the rest of the pregnancy,” she explained. “And I’m supposed to ask you guys about her possibly coming up and staying for a week or so after the baby’s born to help out?” she said hesitantly.

Hope and Carli shared a look.

“I mean, it wouldn’t hurt,” the midfielder started with a shrug. “I’m pretty sure the other’s with kids on the team would say the same,” she added.

Hope nodded. “Yeah, we’ll probably need all the help we can get,” she agreed.

“So is that a yes?” the defender asked, earning two nods. “Okay cool,” she sighed in relief. “Because my mom didn’t so much ask as it was saying she’d be here and she wasn’t taking no for an answer,” she explained.

Hope rolled her eyes. “You could have just said that,” she retorted.

“Sorry, but I figured I’d ask and if you guys said no I would try to convince her she didn’t need to stay,” Kelley argued.

Carli shook her head, smiling amusedly. “I don’t think you’d be able to talk her out of it no matter how hard you tried,” she replied.

The younger woman groaned, laying her head on the table. “I know,” she grumbled.

Hope walked over and laid a hand on the defender’s back. “This is probably payback for not telling her about the pregnancy,” she stated, trying to contain a smile.

Kelley flipped her off. “You suck.”

“In more ways than one,” the keeper replied.

The younger woman sighed. “Damn it, I can’t even be mad,” she mumbled.

Hope smirked. “I try,” she replied.

Carli rolled her eyes. “I swear it’s going to be three kids in the house,” she muttered.

* * *

 

A few hours later, Kelley was making her way out to the back yard when Hope entered the living room.

“What are you doing?” the older woman asked, spying the soccer ball her girlfriend was trying, unsuccessfully, to hide.

“Nothing,” Kelley mumbled.

Hope raised an eyebrow. “You sure about that?” she questioned. “Because it looks like you’re trying to do something.”

Kelley sighed. “I just want to go take a few shots,” she explained, pointing to the makeshift goal in the yard.

The keeper shook her head. “Sorry Kel, but until you get cleared, you can’t,” she said apologetically.

“Come on! I’m allowed to do light workouts! What’s the difference?”

“Knowing you, you’re going to be running around the yard with the dogs minutes after starting,” Hope countered.

Kelley sighed, frustrated. “I’m fine! I just want to kick the ball around for a bit,” she grumbled.

Carli appeared in the doorway from the yard, a surprised look on her face seeing Hope. “Damn it, Kelley, the entire point of doing it while she was out was not to get caught,” she muttered.

“I know that!” the defender yelled. “But she’s Hope, and she _always_ knows when I’m doing something I’m not supposed to. I told you this wasn’t going to work!”

The keeper rolled her eyes, shaking her head exasperatedly. “Let me guess, you were just going out to take a few shots, too, weren’t you, Carli?”

The midfielder sighed, knowing she’d been caught. “Yes,” she confirmed.

Hope placed a hand on each of their shoulders, directing them to the couch. “Neither one of you is allowed to move from this couch,” she instructed. “Unless it’s for the bathroom,” she added as Kelley started to speak. “I don’t want to hear any complaining, you did this to yourselves,” she stated, leaving the room.

Kelley groaned, laying across the sofa. “This sucks,” she grumbled.

Carli laughed, shifting to be lying to her girlfriend. “At least you’ll be able to do stuff again in the next week or so,” she reasoned. “She’s going to be on my ass the rest of the pregnancy.”

The defender smiled. “Well she won’t be the only one,” she said. “But, I’ll try not to be as bad as her,” she promised.

The midfielder laughed, pulling Kelley into a kiss. “You’ll be just as bad as her, but thanks.”

About fifteen minutes later, Hope came back to find the two asleep.

“Thank god,” she muttered. “Maybe now I can get stuff done without worrying about them getting into trouble.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment if you'd like!


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, but it's an update.

About a week later, Hope and Kelley were walking back into the house after the younger woman’s doctor’s appointment earlier that morning.

“I can finally go back to practice,” Kelley said in relief as she walked into the living room.

Hope rolled her eyes. “It really couldn’t have been that bad,” she argued.

“It was terrible,” the defender replied, sprawling out over the couch. “Okay, the first like week was okay because everything hurt like hell, but after that it sucked because you wouldn’t let me leave the couch,” she grumbled.

The older woman shook her head, pulling Kelly up into a sitting position before sitting down. “Okay, but you tried walking  _ three _ dogs with  _ one _ good arm,” she countered. “What made you think that was even close to being a good idea?” she asked through a laugh.

“Obviously I didn’t think that through,” Kelley admitted sheepishly. 

“No, you didn’t,” the keeper agreed. “But now you’re cleared for light practice, so I’m not going to stop you.”

“Damn it, now she’s going to be on my ass the entire time,” Carli said as she came downstairs.

“Sorry, Car,” the younger woman replied. “You sleep late?” she asked.

“Not much, I’ve been up for a while,” the midfielder answered as she came to sit next to her girlfriends. “You guys could have woken me up, I would have gone with you,” she said.

“It’s okay, it wasn’t that important,” Kelley responded.

“And you looked exhausted last night,” Hope added. “We figured we’d let you sleep.”

Carli sighed. “I’m tired all the time,” she muttered. “It kind of sucks.”

“Yeah, but it’s kind of funny,” the defender stated. “For someone who never sleeps in late, you’re doing that a lot lately. Who would have ever thought Carli Lloyd would give up on waking up at the asscrack of dawn?” she teased, earning a slap from the midfielder. 

“Just remember this if we ever have another kid and you’re the one having it,” Carli warned. 

Kelley laughed. “I’m going to go call the coaches and Cap and let them know I can return to practice,” she said. “And then call my parents and let them know,” she added, getting up and running upstairs.

Hope shook her head in amusement, but her smile fell when she noticed Carli frowning. “Hey, you okay?” she asked concernedly, shifting to sit closer to the midfielder.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” the other woman replied quietly.

The older woman looked unconvinced. “Come on, what’s on your mind?” she prodded gently.

Carli sighed, leaning into Hope. “I don’t know, I guess I’m having a harder time dealing with not being as active than I thought I would,” she admitted.

“Is it because Kelley got cleared for training again?” 

The midfielder nodded. “Yeah, I just really miss playing,” she said.

“It’s not like recovering from an injury,” Hope stated.

“No, it’s not,” Carli agreed. “I think it’s because, aside from being pregnant, there’s nothing physically stopping me from playing. And I really want to go out train or play, but I know I can’t because I want the baby to healthy,” she explained.

“I know you heard this already, and you’ll probably hear about another hundred times,” Hope said, wrapping her arms around the younger woman, pulling her into a hug. “But it’ll be worth it when we finally get to see our baby,” she stated.

“I know,” Carli agreed, nodding. “I know that, but right now it really sucks.”

Kelley suddenly appeared in the room. “Hey, so you guys know how we made that post last week explaining that we were in fact having a baby?” she asked. Receiving two nods, she said, “Okay, well, you might not want to go through the comments section.”

Carli sighed. “Is it that bad?” she asked.

The defender shrugged. “I mean, for the most part fans are excited there’s going to be another national team baby,” she explained. “But, there are some who are definitely not happy about the fact that the three of us are going to be raising a kid.”

“Fuck those people,” Hope muttered. “I don’t care what they say, I love both of you, and I’m not going to let those kinds of people stop me from starting a family with you,” she promised.

“We know that,” Kelley assured. 

“I’m not saying this to be mean, but don’t go and do anything stupid on social media that’ll get you in trouble,” Carli warned. “Kelley and I know you love us, and you know we both love you. I don’t care what anyone else thinks, because the only ones who matter have supported us from the start,” she stated.

“I’m not going to go off on people on twitter or instagram,” Hope promised. “I didn’t when we started getting shit once we made it obvious the three of us were in fact together. I’m not going to do it now. There’s more important things to focus on,” she reasoned.  “Like deciding who’s actually going to be our kid’s godparent,” she joked.

“It’s not going to be Syd,” Carli mumbled.

Kelley laughed. “Why not?” she asked.

“I’m not going to give her the satisfaction of being picked,” the midfielder replied.

The defender rolled her eyes. “Okay, whatever you say,” she said. “I still say Becky or Alyssa, or even both.”

“We could pick them,” Hope agreed.

“Although, it’s not just the national team you have to take in account,” Kelley pointed out. “There’s all three of our club teams.”

“I am not letting our kid anywhere near the Reign players,” Hope stated. “We’ll never get them back.”

“We’ll never get them back if any of our teammates see them,” Carli countered. 

“There’s still a while before we have to make any decisions for that,” Kelley said. “I think what we need to be concerned about is getting a nursery set up,” she pointed out.

“We have two rooms to pick from,” the keeper replied. “Then it’s just a matter of getting the furniture and things we need, and decorating it.”

“And no, you’re not allowed to help with that,” Kelley said quickly to the midfielder. “Well, the painting part anyways, if we repaint the room,” she added.

“Whatever you say, Kel,” Carli replied. 

* * *

 

“Are you guys going to be okay while I’m in camp?” Kelley asked a few weeks later. They were in the bedroom, the defender packing her bags while the other two laid on the bed.

“Yes, Kelley, we’ll be fine,” Carli assured. “You do this every time you leave, and the answer has always been the same.”

The younger woman sighed. “Okay, but the last time time I went into camp, you ended up having to go to the ER,” she defended. “I just worry, okay?”

“Kelley, it’ll be alright,” Hope promised. “Go kick some ass and have fun. Everything will be fine.”

“Fine,” the younger woman relented reluctantly. “But I’m calling every night I’m gone,” she warned.

Carli laughed. “We wouldn’t expect anything less from you,” she replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a review if you'd like!


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey look an update finally! In my defense, writer's block is crap and I went back to school. This chapter sucks and is not like what I had in my head, but I didn't know how to get into words. Writing sucks like that sometimes. Once this story is over though I'm sticking to one-shots, lol. This was supposed to be one but obviously that didn't happen.
> 
> I have completely messed the time line of this story, so any discrepancies are my fault and I apologize.

“Why am I not surprised you’re calling?” Hope teased as she answered her phone.

“Shut up, this isn’t even about Carli and the baby,” Kelley replied from the other end.

“Really?” the older woman questioned doubtfully.

There was silence for a moment, then the defender sighed. “Okay, maybe it was,” she amended, “but not entirely for the reason you think.”

"Uh huh, so why are you calling?” Hope asked.

“Some of the girls are wondering if there’s going to be a baby shower,” the younger woman explains. “And I didn’t know how to answer that because we haven’t talked about it. And some of them are being really annoying about it,” she grumbled.

“Let me guess, Ashlyn and Alex?”

Kelley groaned. “Ashlyn is the worst. I swear Kriegs needs to get Ash her own baby so she can leave me alone.” There was rustling on the other end then she mumbled, “I forgot I was rooming with Ali and she just walked in with Ashlyn.”

Hope laughed. “What was that?” 

“Nothing,” Kelley replied.

“Kelley,” the older woman said sternly. 

Some more rustling on the other end, before a new voice spoke, “Tell your girlfriend she’s the annoying one.”

Hope chuckled. “Hi, Ash. What did you do to my girlfriend?” she asked.

“Not much, just threw a pillow at her,” the younger keeper replied.

The older woman rolled her eyes. “Just make sure she returns in one piece,” she ordered.

“No problem.” “Hope! You’re supposed to defend me!” Ashlyn and Kelley said at the same time. 

“You deserved it,” the older woman said.

“Rude,” Kelley huffed, taking the phone back. “Where’s Carli? She’d defend me.”

“Sleeping, and no she wouldn’t,” Hope replied, and she could imagine the younger woman pouting.

“Why do you guys hate me?” the younger woman whined.

“If we hated you, we wouldn’t be having a baby,” Hope deadpanned.

“Ugh fine,” Kelley relented. “Anyways, Ash is still bugging me about the whole baby shower thing, and somehow Tobs got Cheney and Arod involved, so basically the entire national team past and present is wondering,” she explained. “So if you could talk to Carli about it that would be great.”

The older woman chuckled. “I will talk to her when she gets up,” she promised.

“I still think it’s hilarious that Carli no longer gets up at six am,” Kelley stated.

“Seriously?” Ashlyn asked incredulously in the background. 

“Yeah, I think it’s hilarious,” Kelley replied.

“Careful, Kel, or if you ever have a baby you’ll never hear the end of it from Carli,” Hope warned amusedly.

The defender scoffed. “Please, she doesn’t care,” she retorted. “If she really did though, I’d stop teasing her.”

“Ash why can’t you be like that?” Ali asked.

“Where’s the fun in that?” the keeper whined, and Hope heard a yelp in the background. “Fucking hell,” she muttered.

Hope laughed. “Better watch yourself, Harris,” she teased. “Hey, Kel, I need to go,” she said apologetically. “Carli has a doctor’s appointment in a bit.”

The defender sighed. “Yeah, I know,” she replied. “I’m still kind of mad I’m missing it,” she mumbled.

“Kel, there’s still a few more,” Hope pointed out. “And besides, it’s basically the same as the ones before, you’re not missing much. And if something has changed, we’ll tell you,” she promised.

“Yeah, you’re right,” the younger woman admitted. “I just like being there, it makes me feel like I’m just as important,” she admitted quietly.

The older woman closed her eyes, sighing. “Kelley O’Hara, you are just as an important part in this as I am,” she stated sternly. “You missing out on an appointment here or there is _not going to change_ _that_ ,” she promised. 

“I know, I know,” Kelley said. “I know that, I swear, it’s just hard sometimes being away from you guys.”

“As long as you know it,” Hope said. “Okay, I’m going to let you go. I’ll talk to Carli and we’ll call you later tonight,” she promised.

“Okay, sounds good. Love you, babe. Tell Carli, too.”

“Love you too, Kel,” Hope echoed, ending the call.

* * *

 

A couple of hours later Hope and Carli had returned from the visit with Dr. Adams, nothing out of the ordinary with the pregnancy.

“Hey, so Kel called earlier, and I guess some of the others are hassling her about if we’re planning on having a baby shower,” the older woman said as they walked into the living room. “Well, if you wanted one, I should say. It’s your decision.”

Carli sighed, sitting on the couch. “I feel like some of them just want to see what I look like pregnant,” she mumbled.

Hope frowned, sitting next to the midfielder. “What do you mean?” she asked confusedly.

The younger woman shook her head. “Nothing, never mind. It’s stupid,” she answered.

“Carli, are you self-conscious of your body?” the older woman questioned softly.

“I’ve always been, you know that,” Carli replied. “For whatever reason, it’s just worse now,” she admitted.

Hope wrapped her arms around the midfielder and pulled her into her side. “Listen to me. There is nothing wrong with your body, okay?” she said seriously. She put her hand to the other woman’s stomach, feeling the visible bump. “Yeah, your body isn’t the same as before,” she conceded. “But that’s because in a few more months, our baby is going to be here. And you know what? Once they’re here, you’re going to think this conversation is ridiculous because of how beautiful our baby is going to be,” she promised.

Carli laughed, leaning further into Hope. “You think this conversation is ridiculous?” she teased.

“No, I don’t,” the older woman answered. “I think it’s serious. But when you get to hold our baby, you’re going to realize there was nothing to worry about. And if you ever have any other doubts or insecurities, Kelley and I will make them go away,” she promised, leaning in to kiss her girlfriend. “And if you don’t believe me, we can call Kelley and she’ll tell you the same thing.”

The midfielder shook her head, “No, I believe you,” she stated. “Besides, we’ll talk to her later tonight.”

“Are you saying you don’t want to talk to her?” Hope asked jokingly.

Carli groaned. “Look, she calls like thirty times while she’s in camp,” she argued. “I don’t see why we need to call her now when we’ll just talk to her tonight.”

The older woman shrugged. “Fair enough,” she relented. “Okay, so do you want a baby shower or not?” she questioned.

The younger woman shrugged. “I don’t necessarily want an actual baby shower,” she answered. 

Hope nodded. Okay, so what if we just have everyone over for a weekend, like a team get together type thing?” she asked.

“Yeah, that would work,” Carli agreed. 

“Alright, we’ll figure it out later,” Hope replied. “And if anyone says anything negative about your body, I’ll fight them for you,” she promised, sending the midfielder a wink.

Carli laughed loudly. “You might have to fight with Kelley on that,” she joked. “But I doubt that would happen, even with knowing some of the girls.”

Hope shrugged. “I’ll still fight them though.” She stood up, holding out a hand to the younger woman. “Now come on. Let’s go sleep before Kelley calls again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a review if you'd like!
> 
> All mistakes are my own and I'll eventually edit it more later.


	21. An epilogue of sorts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because you all deserve it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm honestly a piece of trash and haven't posted anything for this fandom in almost a year. But I ended up being busy with school at the time (I graduated community college and got my AA in May), and then I just lost motivation to do anything because of life happenings, and I was writing for a different fandom on Wattpad and just.... you guys deserved at least some sort of epilogue to this. It's probably crap, but I hope it's not too crappy. I really wanted to finish this properly, but honestly I just lost interest in so many things I couldn't continue.
> 
> As always, I am not a medical professional and everything in here is probably inaccurate.

 

“Hope Amelia Solo, I swear to god if you don’t answer, I will murder you in your sleep,” Kelley hissed into her phone as the call went Hope’s voicemail again. “I don’t know what you’re doing, but Carli’s water broke and we’re at the hospital. Please call me back.”

“Is she still not answering?” Alex asked as she watched the defender pace angrily.

Kelley shook her head and sighed. “No. And I don’t know what she’s doing. Carli will kill her if she misses the baby’s birth.”

“Why don’t you go back in there with Carli,” Tobin suggested, turning the shorter woman around and guiding her back to the room the older midfielder was in. “Alex and I will wait out here and keep trying to get a hold of Hope.”

Kelley nodded, releasing an anxious breath. She was so thankful the two had decided to come and stay with them for a bit during the offseason. “Thanks, guys. I will let you know if there’s anything else you can do.”

Alex shook her head. “We’re your best friends. Of course we’re going to help.”

“Just don’t ask us to beat up Hope for you, please,” Tobin pleaded. “I don’t think that would work out very well.”

“I wouldn’t ask you to do that,” Kelley assured as she chuckled lightly. “Carli will have that covered.”

* * *

“I’m going to kill her,” Carli muttered as another contraction came to an end. “I don’t care if I’ve just gone through labor, I’m going to murder her.”

Kelley winced as the older woman released the vice grip on her hand, flexing it cautiously. “Can we at least give her a chance to explain? I feel like we rushed into death threats a bit too quickly.”

Carli groaned as another contraction overcame her. It lasted a minute before her tense posture relaxed and she breathed in relief that would probably last only briefly. “Alright, fine. But it better be a good reason.”

The door burst open as the missing woman in question barreled into the room. “Holy shit, I’m so sorry,” she apologized breathlessly as she approached the hospital bed. “I wasn’t ignoring your calls on purpose, Kell, I swear.”

“What took you so long?” Carli questioned just before another wave of pain hit.

Hope took the midfielder’s hand and waited for the contraction to subside. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. My phone died while was at the store, and I had just gotten it on the charger in the car when I saw the texts and voicemails from Kelley,” she explained hurriedly, knowing it was probably not the best excuse. “I should have at least answered one, but I decided not to and just drove here.”

Dr. Adams entered not long after, and smiled widely seeing the new addition to the room. “I see you’ve finally joined us, Hope,” she stated in way of greeting. She did one final check before smiling at the group. “Alright, it’s time for this baby to make its way into the world.”

* * *

Another hour later, and the trio were in the recovery room, their newborn daughter swaddled in a light pink blanket and held safely in Carli’s arms.

A soft knock on the door sounded, and Alex poked her head in. “Is it alright if Tobs and I join you?”

Kelley glanced at Carli. “You’re the one who just went through hours of labor. It’s up to you.”

Hope only nodded in agreement, too focused on the tiny, sleeping form in the midfielder’s arms.

Carli nodded, looking to the younger forward. “Yeah, it’s fine. Come in,” she replied with a smile.

Alex grinned and entered the room, excitedly pulling Tobin with her. “The baby’s okay, right? Being early and all?” she asked concernedly, looking between the three new parents.

“She’s just fine,” Hope confirmed, finally peering up from the sleeping baby with a grin.

The forward squealed excitedly. “Yes! Another girl to train to be a kickass forward.”

“Midfielder,” Tobin corrected teasingly, sending Carli a wink. “Come on, Alex, you know she’s going to be a midfielder.”

“What’s wrong with being a defender?” Kelley asked with a pout, looking at her friends with a mock hurt expression.

“Who’s got the most goals between the three of us?” Alex questioned, raising an eyebrow in challenge at Kelley and Tobin.

“Who’s stopped more goals than the three of you combined?” Hope challenged in return, smirking at the three victoriously.

Kelley scowled, grumbling under her breath. “I hate you all, it’s not my fault I only have two.” She glared at the other before declaring, “You know what? Just for that, she’s going to play other sports. Maybe rugby or hockey or something.”

Carli snorted amusedly. “Yeah, good luck with that, Kell.”

“Okay, okay, but now the important question,” Alex cut in before the defender could retort. “What’s her name?”

“Well, we let Kelley have the honor of picking the name,” Carli replied, transferring the baby into the said woman’s arms. “Since she was gone for for a lot of the pregnancy, I carried the baby, and she potentially has more of Hope’s features, we let Kelley choose the name.”

“Was that really a good idea?” Tobin teased with a smirk. “Are you sure she’s not going to give the baby a dumb name?”

“Shut it, Tobs,” Kelley muttered, sticking her tongue out at the midfielder childishly.

“We still had to agree on the name,” Hope answered. “But we let Kelley do most of the research into finding the name.”

“So, what is her name?” Alex asked again almost impatiently.

Kelley looked up from the baby and smiled, holding the tiny human up proudly. “Guys, you’re the first of the team to meet the newest addition, Jocelyn Brooke.”

“And her last name?” Tobin asked hesitantly, not wanting to start any kind of argument.

“Lloyd-Solo,” Kelley replied immediately with a grin. Her grin soon turned into a mischievous smirk. “On the birth certificate, anyways. Otherwise it’s O’Harli,” she proclaimed, looking between her girlfriends slyly.

“Not a chance, Kell,” Carli stated, glaring at the defender. “And don’t you dare tell anyone else from the team.”

“Fine. You’re just lucky I haven’t announced it to the group chats yet.”

“Oh, speaking of,” Alex started, “when you guys do tell everyone, can Tobs and I brag we’re the first to meet Jocelyn?”

“I’m keeping my phone on mute so I don’t have to deal with Syd or McCaffrey,” was Carli’s only answer.

Hope laughed and leaned over to press a kiss to the midfielder’s temple. She looked back over to Alex. “Let us make the announcement, and then you can have your bragging rights.”

* * *

**Group Chat**

_Hope: *insert picture*_

_Hope: Meet Jocelyn Brooke Lloyd-Solo, the newest addition to the family. Born a little over an hour ago now._

_Syd: HOLY SHIT AFHSHCVAEW_

_JJ: NO WAY?!_

_Christen: Awww, what a cutie! Congratulations, guys!_

_Syd: WHAT THE FUCK_

_Becky: Congratulations you three!! Does this mean we have another defender to add to the roster?_

_Syd: A LITTLE WARNING NEXT TIME ADJSHFUGF_

_Alyssa: Syd, chill out. And Becky, no way. She’s definitely going to be a keeper._

_Kelley: You alright Syd?_

_Ali: Oh my god!!!! Congratulations guys!!!!_

_Ashlyn: Isn’t it a little early? Is she okay?_

_Kelley: She’s perfectly healthy, a tiny bit underweight, but otherwise in perfect health._

_Christie: She’s beautiful, you guys. Congratulations!_

_Shannon: She’s precious!_

_Lauren: So when’s the next team gathering so we all get to meet her?_

_Alex: What are you talking about? You guys didn’t get the invite Tobin and I did? ;)_

_Amy: Congratulations, guys!!!!! She’s a cutie!_

_Ali: Alex…._

_Steph: HOLD THE FUCK UP_

_Steph: You and Tobin are there?!_

_Tobin: Maybe?_

_Alyssa: Steph, there is probably a reason why you and Syd weren’t invited._

Hope smiled as she watched the flood of messages in the chat. She looked between Carli, who was lying with her eyes closed in the bed, and Kelley, who was helping Tobin hold Jocelyn. She took the midfielder’s hand and kissed it tenderly.

“Everything hurts a little less now,” she murmured to herself, thinking of the journey that had led to this moment. She vowed then and there to protect her family with her life.

Life without soccer would be painful for a time, but with a new future to look forward to, it really did hurt a little less.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said, I'm trash and this epilogue probably sucked. I am so thankful to those of you who supported this fic when I was originally writing it. It wasn't supposed to be this long, and those of you who were consistent readers and commented every chapter are amazing. I'm so sorry if I've disappointed you by not continuing properly, but I hope you at least liked this epilogue, for what it's worth.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't even know, guys. Leave a review if you'd like, comments are always appreciated!


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